Celanese (NYSE:CE) Given New $72.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Celanese from $50 to $72 while maintaining an "equal weight" rating, implying roughly a 2.3% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but trending higher—several firms have lifted targets (e.g., UBS, Baird, Bank of America), the consensus target is $66, and analyst ratings break down as 9 buys, 9 holds and 1 sell.
• Celanese recently missed EPS estimates (reported $0.67 vs. $0.89), with revenue down 6.5% year-over-year and a negative net margin, yet the stock traded near a 12‑month high (~$70) and Q1 2026 EPS guidance is $0.70–$0.85.

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $50.00 to $72.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price points to a potential upside of 2.28% from the stock's previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Celanese from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Vertical Research raised shares of Celanese from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Celanese from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Celanese from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Celanese from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $66.00.

Celanese Stock Up 2.4%

CE stock traded up $1.66 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $70.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 458,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,445,752. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The company has a market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a PE ratio of -6.64, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 $70.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $59.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.48.

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.89 by ($0.22). The business had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.25 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 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. Celanese has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.700-0.850 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Celanese will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of Celanese during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Celanese by 140.4% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 827 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Celanese by 175.7% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 896 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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