Barclays Upgrades Celanese (NYSE:CE) to “Hold”

Celanese (NYSE:CE) was upgraded by investment analysts at Barclays to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Monday, Zacks reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Celanese from $60.00 to $58.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Mizuho set a $50.00 price target on shares of Celanese in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Celanese from $57.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Celanese from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $50.00 price objective on Celanese in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.38.

Celanese Stock Performance

Shares of CE stock opened at $45.81 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.03 billion, a PE ratio of -4.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $45.32 and a 200-day moving average of $51.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Celanese has a one year low of $35.13 and a one year high of $70.70.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. Celanese had a negative net margin of 12.04% and a positive return on equity of 13.04%. Celanese’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Celanese has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Celanese will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Mark Murray purchased 2,153 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $45.52 per share, with a total value of $98,004.56. Following the completion of the purchase, the senior vice president owned 30,432 shares in the company, valued at $1,385,264.64. This represents a 7.61% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Celanese

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 757.7% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 669 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 591 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in shares of Celanese by 6,975.0% during the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 849 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 837 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Celanese during the second quarter worth about $47,000. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in shares of Celanese during the second quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Celanese by 65.5% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.87% of the company’s stock.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE) is a global chemical and specialty materials company that develops and manufactures products used in a wide range of industries, including automotive, consumer goods, medical, electronics, food, paints and coatings, and industrial manufacturing. The company serves customers through operations and commercial activities across North America, Europe, Asia and other international markets.

Celanese operates primarily through its Engineered Materials and Acetyl Chain businesses.