Celanese (NYSE:CE) Sets New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) shares hit a new 52-week high on Friday after Robert W. Baird raised their price target on the stock from $65.00 to $75.00. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Celanese traded as high as $63.71 and last traded at $63.51, with a volume of 63766 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $61.54.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on CE. Citigroup upped their price objective on Celanese from $75.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research cut Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Vertical Research upgraded Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Celanese from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Celanese from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Celanese presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.22.

Institutional Trading of Celanese

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,399 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Celanese by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,244 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $137,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Celanese by 111.1% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of Celanese by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 22,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $961,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Celanese by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 25,015 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,058,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Celanese Trading Up 3.6%

The stock has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a PE ratio of -5.99, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $53.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.69.

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

Celanese Announces Dividend

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

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.