Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate Celanese “Moderate Buy” overall: Of 18 firms, 10 recommend buying, seven rate it a hold and one recommends selling. The average 12-month price target is $63.88, above the stock’s reported $44.04 price.
• Recent earnings exceeded expectations: Celanese reported quarterly EPS of $2.45 versus the $2.23 consensus, while revenue reached $2.75 billion and rose 8.7% year over year. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $6.01.
• Institutional ownership remains very high: Hedge funds and other institutions own 98.87% of the company, with several investors increasing their positions or initiating new stakes. Celanese also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.03 per share, a 0.3% annualized yield.

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $63.8750.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CE. Bank of America decreased their price target on Celanese from $72.00 to $63.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Celanese from $57.00 to $54.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Celanese from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Celanese from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Celanese from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CE. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Celanese by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,565,556 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $235,312,000 after buying an additional 1,076,645 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in Celanese by 208.3% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 105,435 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,460,000 after acquiring an additional 71,238 shares during the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Celanese by 113.1% during the fourth quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 152,291 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,439,000 after acquiring an additional 80,827 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Celanese during the 4th quarter valued at about $20,047,000. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC purchased a new stake in Celanese during the 1st quarter valued at about $3,321,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.87% of the company's stock.

Celanese Stock Performance

NYSE CE opened at $44.04 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.83 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.12, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.45. Celanese has a fifty-two week low of $35.13 and a fifty-two week high of $70.70.

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. Celanese had a positive return on equity of 13.04% and a negative net margin of 12.04%.The company's revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. Celanese has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.750 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Celanese will post 6.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Celanese Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 28th. Celanese's dividend payout ratio is presently -1.12%.

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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