Celanese (NYSE:CE) Stock Rating Upgraded by KeyCorp

Key Points

• KeyCorp upgraded Celanese to “strong buy” and issued earnings estimates of $1.56 EPS for Q3 2026, $1.19 for Q4 2026, $6.10 for FY2027 and $6.70 for FY2028.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive but mixed, with an overall “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $63.27; several firms recently lowered their targets.
• Celanese beat its latest quarterly earnings estimate, reporting $2.45 EPS versus $2.23 expected, while revenue rose 8.7% year over year to $2.75 billion. The stock opened at $45.83, well below its 52-week high of $70.70.

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at KeyCorp to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Thursday, Zacks reports. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Celanese's Q3 2026 earnings at $1.56 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.19 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $6.10 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $6.70 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on CE. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Celanese from $57.00 to $54.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Celanese from $72.00 to $63.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Mizuho set a $50.00 target price on Celanese in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $50.00 target price on Celanese in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Celanese from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.27.

Celanese Stock Performance

NYSE CE opened at $45.83 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $45.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.80. Celanese has a 1 year low of $35.13 and a 1 year high of $70.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.76.

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. Celanese had a negative net margin of 12.04% and a positive return on equity of 13.04%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. Celanese has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.750 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Celanese will post 5.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Mark Murray acquired 2,153 shares of Celanese stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $45.52 per share, for a total transaction of $98,004.56. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president directly owned 30,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,385,264.64. The trade was a 7.61% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Celanese by 111.1% in the 2nd 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. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Celanese by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 662 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of Celanese during the third quarter worth $34,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 175.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 896 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Celanese in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors own 98.87% of the company's stock.

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.

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