Celanese (NYSE:CE) Trading 7.6% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Shares jumped ~7.6% mid-day after Wells Fargo raised its price target from $70 to $75 and kept an overweight rating, with the stock trading as high as $67.96 on below-average volume.
• The analyst picture is mixed—nine Buy, eight Hold and two Sell ratings—with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target of $63.47 despite several recent upgrades from firms like Tudor Pickering and Jefferies.
• Celanese missed quarterly estimates (Q4 EPS $0.67 vs. $0.89 expected; revenue $2.20B vs. $2.25B), has a negative net margin, set Q1 guidance of $0.70–$0.85, and analysts project about 8.79 EPS for the fiscal year.

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) shares traded up 7.6% during mid-day trading on Monday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $70.00 to $75.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Celanese traded as high as $67.57 and last traded at $67.9570. 795,404 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 2,534,138 shares. The stock had previously closed at $63.13.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Celanese from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Celanese from $40.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Celanese from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Celanese from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $86.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Evercore set a $63.00 target price on shares of Celanese in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $63.47.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Celanese

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Celanese by 111.1% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 513 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in shares of Celanese during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Celanese by 140.4% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 827 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Celanese during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Hartford Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Celanese by 350.5% during the fourth quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 901 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 701 shares in the last quarter. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Celanese Trading Up 7.3%

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a PE ratio of -6.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.85. 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 business's fifty day moving average price is $56.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.18.

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.22). Celanese had a positive return on equity of 8.75% and a negative net margin of 12.15%.The firm had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Celanese has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.700-0.850 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Celanese Corporation will post 8.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th were given a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Celanese's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1.13%.

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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