Hsbc Holdings PLC Has $2.31 Million Stock Holdings in Celanese Corporation $CE

Key Points

• Hsbc Holdings PLC cut its Celanese stake by 58% in the second quarter, selling 70,235 shares and retaining 50,877 shares valued at approximately $2.31 million. Institutional investors collectively own 98.87% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautiously positive, with Celanese carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $63.27, despite several recent target reductions. KeyCorp initiated coverage with an “overweight” rating and a $57 target.
• Celanese exceeded quarterly earnings expectations with adjusted EPS of $2.45 versus the $2.23 consensus, while revenue rose 8.7% year over year to $2.75 billion. However, the company remains highly leveraged, and its shares recently traded near $46.18, well below the one-year high of $70.70.

Hsbc Holdings PLC trimmed its stake in shares of Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE - Free Report) by 58.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,877 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 70,235 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in Celanese were worth $2,307,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Muhlenkamp & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Celanese during the second quarter worth approximately $9,752,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Celanese during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,887,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Celanese during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,664,000. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Celanese during the 2nd quarter valued at $219,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new position in Celanese in the 2nd quarter valued at $7,559,000. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Celanese from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Mizuho set a $50.00 price target on Celanese in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $50.00 price target on shares of Celanese in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Celanese in a report on Thursday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $57.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Celanese from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $63.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Mark Murray bought 2,153 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $45.52 per share, with a total value of $98,004.56. Following the completion of the purchase, the senior vice president owned 30,432 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,385,264.64. This trade represents a 7.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Celanese Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE CE opened at $46.18 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a PE ratio of -4.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33. Celanese Corporation has a 1 year low of $35.13 and a 1 year high of $70.70. The firm's 50-day moving average is $45.52 and its 200-day moving average is $52.76.

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.22. Celanese had a negative net margin of 12.04% and a positive return on equity of 13.04%. The business had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. Celanese's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Celanese has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.750 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Celanese Corporation will post 5.99 EPS for the current year.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 28th were issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Celanese's payout ratio is currently -1.12%.

Key Headlines Impacting Celanese

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp upgraded Celanese to “Strong Buy,” reinforcing its bullish view on the chemicals company. KeyCorp maintains a $57 price target, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Celanese upgraded by KeyCorp
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp’s earnings outlook points to a recovery. The firm estimates $1.56 in third-quarter 2026 EPS, $1.19 in the fourth quarter, $6.10 for fiscal 2027 and $6.70 for fiscal 2028. The longer-term estimates exceed the current full-year consensus of $5.99, supporting the case that earnings could improve over time.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity signals increased speculative interest in Celanese. Traders purchased 10,136 calls, roughly 410% above typical volume, suggesting some market participants are positioning for a rebound, though options activity is not a fundamental indicator.
• Neutral Sentiment: Celanese is selling another 19% of Nutrinova for $152 million, reducing its ownership stake to 11%. The proceeds could help the highly leveraged company pay down debt, but the transaction also reduces exposure to a business that could provide future growth. Celanese selling another 19% of Nutrinova
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted weakness following second-quarter 2026 results and the Nutrinova stake sale. Investors may remain cautious until Celanese demonstrates sustained earnings improvement and debt reduction. Celanese stock edges lower after earnings and Nutrinova sale

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation is a global chemical and specialty materials company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company develops and manufactures engineered polymers, specialty chemicals and other materials used in a broad range of industries, including automotive, medical, electronics, consumer products, industrial equipment, coatings and packaging.

Celanese operates through two primary businesses: Engineered Materials and the Acetyl Chain. Its engineered materials portfolio includes high-performance thermoplastics, engineered polymers and other specialty compounds used to replace metal and conventional materials in demanding applications.

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