Celanese (NYSE:CE) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $69.01, but opened at $63.47. Celanese shares last traded at $62.2190, with a volume of 340,536 shares trading hands.

The basic materials company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by ($0.03). Celanese had a negative net margin of 12.15% and a positive return on equity of 8.75%. The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Celanese has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.400 EPS.

Celanese Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 27th will be paid a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 27th. Celanese’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1.13%.

Celanese News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised Q2 2026 EPS guidance to $2.00–$2.40 (well above consensus ~1.54), signaling expected recovery in pricing, volumes and cash flow — a material forward-looking beat that could support the stock. Celanese Q2 guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Operating profit rose year-over-year and operating cash flow improved sharply; cash and liquidity were materially better — positives for deleveraging and financial flexibility. Quiver Quant earnings summary
• Positive Sentiment: Insider buying (CFO and CEO purchases) noted in filings — can be read as management confidence in the company’s outlook. Insider buying details
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts revised price targets and ratings: Morgan Stanley raised its PT to $72 (equal weight) and Mizuho raised its PT to $65 (neutral) — these are supportive but not unanimous buy signals. Morgan Stanley PT raise Mizuho PT raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic initiatives announced (nylon uplift in engineered materials) and a collaboration on carbon capture/utilization for airlaid nonwovens — long-term product and sustainability efforts that could improve mix but are not immediate earnings drivers. Nylon uplift initiatives Carbon capture collaboration
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 EPS missed estimates ($0.85 vs. $0.88) and reported revenue was down ~2.2% YoY — the immediate catalyst for the negative market reaction. Zacks earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: Net income and diluted EPS showed steep year-over-year declines in GAAP metrics (significant drop in net income and diluted EPS), which can spook investors despite operating improvements. Quiver Quant GAAP metrics

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Celanese from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Celanese from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Celanese from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Celanese from $81.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $66.41.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CE. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Celanese by 1,539.8% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,133,216 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $90,192,000 after acquiring an additional 2,003,127 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in Celanese by 24.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,565,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $235,312,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076,645 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Celanese by 21.0% during the third quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,115,365 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $215,255,000 after acquiring an additional 887,600 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Celanese by 103.7% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,645,689 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $91,056,000 after buying an additional 837,944 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP increased its holdings in Celanese by 872.6% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 693,796 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,195,000 after buying an additional 622,460 shares during the last quarter. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Celanese Price Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $60.05 and its 200-day moving average is $49.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a PE ratio of -5.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.81.

Celanese Company Profile

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.