Celanese (NYSE:CE) Trading Up 6.4% – What’s Next?

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE)’s share price shot up 6.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $46.85 and last traded at $46.9490. Approximately 354,066 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 2,142,779 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.13.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CE. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Celanese in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Celanese from $72.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Celanese from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Celanese from $72.00 to $58.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Celanese from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $63.71.

Celanese Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $45.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.18. The stock has a market cap of $4.97 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.76.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.22. Celanese had a positive return on equity of 13.04% and a negative net margin of 12.04%.The company had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Celanese has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Celanese Corporation will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 28th were given a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Celanese’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1.12%.

Insider Transactions at Celanese

In related news, SVP Mark Murray purchased 2,153 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $45.52 per share, for a total transaction of $98,004.56. Following the purchase, the senior vice president directly owned 30,432 shares in the company, valued at $1,385,264.64. This trade represents a 7.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Celanese

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Childress Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Celanese by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,587 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $367,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its position in shares of Celanese by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,815 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. 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. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Celanese by 111.1% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.