Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) Stock Now Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Celanese has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 19 analysts, with nine buys, one strong buy, eight holds and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $60.38, although several firms recently lowered their targets.
• Celanese shares opened at $47.53, compared with a 12-month range of $35.13 to $70.70. The company’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $2.45 versus the $2.23 consensus and revenue of $2.75 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.03 per share, equivalent to a 0.3% annualized yield. Institutional investors own 98.87% of the stock, while an executive recently increased his holdings by purchasing 2,153 shares.

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $60.38.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CE. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Celanese from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Mizuho set a $50.00 target price on Celanese in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Celanese from $60.00 to $58.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Celanese in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $50.00 price target on Celanese in a research note on Thursday, August 6th.

Celanese Price Performance

CE stock opened at $47.53 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $45.57 and a 200-day moving average of $50.78. Celanese has a 12-month low of $35.13 and a 12-month high of $70.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33. The company has a market cap of $5.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.45, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.76.

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. Celanese had a positive return on equity of 13.04% and a negative net margin of 12.04%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. Celanese has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.750 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Celanese will post 5.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 27th will be paid a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 27th. Celanese's dividend payout ratio is presently -1.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Celanese news, SVP Mark Murray bought 2,153 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $45.52 per share, for a total transaction of $98,004.56. Following the acquisition, the senior vice president owned 30,432 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,385,264.64. The trade was a 7.61% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC raised its stake in Celanese by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC now owns 6,348 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 1,168 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Celanese during the 3rd quarter worth about $19,131,000. Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in shares of Celanese by 6,975.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 849 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Celanese by 757.7% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 669 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 591 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Morris Harris LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Celanese during the third quarter worth about $222,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.87% of the company's stock.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation NYSE: CE is a global chemical and specialty materials company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company develops and manufactures engineered materials and chemical products used by manufacturers in industries including automotive, consumer goods, medical and healthcare, electronics, industrial equipment, energy and infrastructure.

Celanese operates primarily through its Engineered Materials and Acetyl Chain businesses. Its portfolio includes engineered polymers, thermoplastic compounds and other specialty materials, as well as acetyl products such as acetic acid, vinyl acetate monomer, emulsions and related intermediates.

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