Celanese (NYSE:CE) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Key Points

• Celanese shares gapped down after Q1 results — EPS of $0.85 missed estimates of $0.88 and revenue fell ~2.2% YoY, driving a roughly 9.6% drop with the stock opening at $63.47 versus a $69.01 close.
• The company raised Q2 2026 guidance to $2.00–$2.40 EPS (well above consensus ~$1.54) and reported improved operating profit and cash flow, with noted insider buying that supports management’s recovery outlook.
• Celanese declared a small quarterly dividend of $0.03 (0.2% yield) while carrying a high leverage profile (debt-to-equity ~2.55) and a MarketBeat consensus rating of Hold with an average target near $66.41.

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $69.01, but opened at $63.47. Celanese shares last traded at $62.2190, with a volume of 340,536 shares changing hands.

The basic materials company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.34 billion. Celanese had a negative net margin of 12.15% and a positive return on equity of 8.75%. Celanese's quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.57 earnings per share. Celanese has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.400 EPS.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Investors of record on Monday, April 27th will be given a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 27th. Celanese's dividend payout ratio is currently -1.13%.

Key Celanese News

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised Q2 2026 EPS guidance to $2.00–$2.40 (well above consensus ~1.54), signaling expected recovery in pricing, volumes and cash flow — a material forward-looking beat that could support the stock. Celanese Q2 guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Operating profit rose year-over-year and operating cash flow improved sharply; cash and liquidity were materially better — positives for deleveraging and financial flexibility. Quiver Quant earnings summary
• Positive Sentiment: Insider buying (CFO and CEO purchases) noted in filings — can be read as management confidence in the company’s outlook. Insider buying details
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts revised price targets and ratings: Morgan Stanley raised its PT to $72 (equal weight) and Mizuho raised its PT to $65 (neutral) — these are supportive but not unanimous buy signals. Morgan Stanley PT raise Mizuho PT raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic initiatives announced (nylon uplift in engineered materials) and a collaboration on carbon capture/utilization for airlaid nonwovens — long-term product and sustainability efforts that could improve mix but are not immediate earnings drivers. Nylon uplift initiatives Carbon capture collaboration
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 EPS missed estimates ($0.85 vs. $0.88) and reported revenue was down ~2.2% YoY — the immediate catalyst for the negative market reaction. Zacks earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: Net income and diluted EPS showed steep year-over-year declines in GAAP metrics (significant drop in net income and diluted EPS), which can spook investors despite operating improvements. Quiver Quant GAAP metrics

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Celanese from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, March 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Celanese from $40.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Celanese from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Celanese from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $86.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Celanese from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Celanese has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $66.41.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Celanese

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CE. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Celanese by 41.7% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 32,450 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,842,000 after acquiring an additional 9,543 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Celanese by 265.2% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 5,032 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 3,654 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Celanese by 144.9% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,276 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 755 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Celanese by 42.1% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,768 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 2,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in Celanese by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 184,980 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,235,000 after acquiring an additional 11,347 shares during the last quarter. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Celanese Stock Down 9.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.81. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $60.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.69.

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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