Celanese (NYSE:CE) Price Target Lowered to $80.00 at Citigroup

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by analysts at Citigroup from $84.00 to $80.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Citigroup's target price would indicate a potential upside of 36.74% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on CE. Zacks Research raised Celanese from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group lifted their target price on Celanese from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Celanese from $53.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Celanese and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Celanese from $50.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Celanese currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $67.06.

Celanese Stock Performance

Shares of Celanese stock traded down $3.62 during trading on Thursday, hitting $58.51. 3,035,208 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,505,191. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.55. Celanese has a 12 month low of $35.13 and a 12 month high of $70.70. The stock's fifty day moving average is $60.25 and its 200 day moving average is $49.85. The stock has a market cap of $6.41 billion, a PE ratio of -5.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.81.

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.03). Celanese had a negative net margin of 11.54% and a positive return on equity of 9.74%. The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Celanese will post 5.4 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Celanese by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,196 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,907,000 after acquiring an additional 29,392 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Celanese during the third quarter valued at $3,171,000. AMG National Trust Bank boosted its position in shares of Celanese by 270.1% in the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 70,322 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,959,000 after purchasing an additional 51,322 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. increased its stake in Celanese by 406.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 42,175 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,775,000 after purchasing an additional 33,854 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Celanese by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,214,487 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $51,104,000 after buying an additional 214,632 shares during the period. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Celanese News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management raised Q2 2026 EPS guidance to $2.00–$2.40 (well above the ~$1.54 consensus), signaling a stronger back half and helping offset the Q1 miss. Conference call & press release
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street support: JPMorgan and Mizuho raised price targets (JPMorgan to $68, Mizuho to $65) and other firms (e.g., Morgan Stanley, Citi, Wells Fargo) have published higher targets — a sign analysts see upside from current levels. Analyst moves
• Positive Sentiment: Cost / margin actions: Celanese is advancing a $30M Nylon‑66 savings plan and reorganizing the nylon business to boost its Engineered Materials unit — these are near‑term margin levers. Nylon savings plan
• Positive Sentiment: Operational cash and operating profit improved in the quarter (management highlighted stronger cash flow), and insiders have made purchases — both supportive signs for near‑term liquidity and management conviction. Operating cash & insider activity
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic / sustainability work — Celanese and SharpCell are piloting carbon capture & utilization for airlaid nonwovens and pulp/paper, a longer‑term positive but unlikely to move near‑term earnings. CCU collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary is mixed but generally constructive — some forecasts call for strong price appreciation, but ratings vary (several “neutral”/target‑raise notes). Morgan Stanley note
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 misses and weak reported profit metrics: Celanese reported $0.85 EPS vs. a $0.88 consensus and revenue of $2.34B (down ~2.2% y/y); headline EPS and net‑income comparisons were disappointing and likely prompted profit‑taking. Q1 earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: Market performance and margin pressure: the stock has underperformed peers recently and the company reported a negative net margin, highlighting cyclical/end‑market weakness that investors worry could persist. Underperformance vs peers

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.

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