Celanese (NYSE:CE) Upgraded by Wells Fargo & Company to “Overweight” Rating

Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Celanese (NYSE:CE) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report report published on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has $70.00 target price on the basic materials company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $55.00.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Evercore set a $63.00 price target on Celanese in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Celanese from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Celanese in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Celanese in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Celanese currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.56.

Celanese Stock Performance

Celanese stock opened at $57.75 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The company has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.45, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $50.42 and its 200 day moving average is $44.91. Celanese has a twelve month low of $35.13 and a twelve month high of $63.55.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.22). Celanese had a negative net margin of 12.15% and a positive return on equity of 8.75%. The company had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Celanese has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.700-0.850 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Celanese will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 24th. Celanese’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1.13%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Celanese

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Celanese in the third quarter worth approximately $3,171,000. AMG National Trust Bank raised its holdings in shares of Celanese by 270.1% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 70,322 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,959,000 after purchasing an additional 51,322 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. lifted its position in Celanese by 406.9% during the third quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 42,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,775,000 after purchasing an additional 33,854 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey lifted its position in Celanese by 163.8% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 42,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,327,000 after purchasing an additional 26,120 shares during the period. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Celanese in the third quarter worth approximately $6,057,000. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Celanese News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded CE from “Equal Weight” to “Overweight” and lifted its target to $70, citing the company as a beneficiary of tighter fundamentals among chemical names — a catalyst cited for part of the recent rally. Wells Fargo Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $81 and maintained a Buy view, providing another high‑profile bullish signal that helped push sentiment and multiple expansion. Citigroup Raises Target to $81
• Positive Sentiment: Company-level balance‑sheet catalysts: filings and analyst notes highlighted strong 2025 free cash flow, a 2026 FCF target, reduced near‑term maturities from refinancing, and the $492M Micromax sale — all supporting a deleveraging narrative that drove investor re‑rating. Deleveraging / FCF Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/geopolitical angle: several coverage notes flagged CE as a potential beneficiary of Middle East tensions (commodity/chemical price and demand effects), prompting a “top pick” designation in some outlets and adding to short‑covering. Top Pick / Middle East Tension Rationale
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical signal: Celanese’s Relative Strength (RS) rating jumped to 87, reflecting strong recent price performance — a technical positive but not a fundamental change. RS Rating to 87
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish earnings previews: Zacks and other outlets published downside/negative estimates for upcoming quarters, keeping near‑term earnings risk alive and giving investors reason to trim positions after the sharp rally. Zacks Negative Outlook

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation is a global chemical and specialty materials company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of products serving diverse industries. The company operates through two primary business segments—Engineered Materials and Acetyl Chain—offering solutions that range from high-performance polymers and specialty additives to industrial chemicals and intermediates. Its engineered materials are used in applications such as automotive components, consumer electronics, medical devices and packaging, while its acetyl derivatives find uses in coatings, adhesives, solvents and personal care products.

In the Engineered Materials segment, Celanese produces a variety of high-performance thermoplastics, polyether-block-amide (PEBA) elastomers and functional additives designed to enhance product durability, thermal resistance and sustainability.