Celanese (NYSE:CE) Issues Earnings Results

Key Points

• Celanese reported Q1 EPS of $0.85, missing consensus by $0.03, with revenue of $2.34 billion (down 2.2% year‑over‑year) and a negative net margin of 12.15%.
• Management set Q2 2026 guidance of $2.00–$2.40 EPS, well above analyst consensus (~$1.54), and highlighted underlying strength—operating profit rose ~27% YoY and cash generation improved—helping drive the stock higher and prompt analyst support.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.03 (annualized $0.12, yield ~0.2%), and institutional ownership is very high (~98.9%), indicating a heavily institution‑held float.

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by ($0.03), Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. Celanese had a positive return on equity of 8.75% and a negative net margin of 12.15%.The business's revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.57 EPS. Celanese updated its Q2 2026 guidance to 2.000-2.400 EPS.

Celanese Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of CE opened at $69.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $60.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.81. Celanese has a 12-month low of $35.13 and a 12-month high of $70.70.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently -1.13%.

Key Stories Impacting Celanese

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management set Q2 2026 EPS guidance of $2.00–$2.40 vs. the consensus ~$1.54, a big beat that likely drove the rally by signaling stronger near-term profitability. Celanese Corporation Reports First Quarter Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying operations showed improvement: operating profit rose ~27% YoY and operating cash flow and cash balances improved substantially — evidence of stronger cash generation despite top-line pressure. Insider purchases by senior execs were also reported. Celanese Corporation (CE) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $72 (Equal Weight), providing additional analyst support for the name. Analyst upward revisions can reinforce buying interest after earnings. Benzinga – Price target raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Company announced strategic “nylon uplift” initiatives for its engineered materials business — a longer-term product/portfolio move that may improve margins over time but is not an immediate earnings driver. Celanese Outlines Strategic Nylon Uplift Initiatives
• Neutral Sentiment: Celanese and SharpCell Oy announced a collaboration on carbon capture and utilization for airlaid nonwovens — a sustainability/technology partnership that supports long-term strategy but has limited near-term earnings impact. Celanese and SharpCell Oy Collaborate
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 showed revenue and EPS misses on some vendor estimates: revenue (~$2.34B) came in below consensus and some outlets flagged EPS as a miss versus their models — plus year‑over‑year net income declined significantly on a reported basis, which is a warning for longer-term profitability until guidance proves out. Celanese (CE) Lags Q1 Earnings Estimates (Zacks) Quiver – Q1 details

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 valued at $215,255,000 after buying an additional 887,600 shares during the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Celanese by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,094,781 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $173,127,000 after buying an additional 558,391 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Celanese by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,949,230 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $166,973,000 after acquiring an additional 80,242 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position 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 valued at $90,192,000 after acquiring an additional 2,003,127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in Celanese by 37.7% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,703,695 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $71,691,000 after acquiring an additional 466,683 shares during the last quarter. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have 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 for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Celanese from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Celanese from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Celanese from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Celanese in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $66.00.

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.