Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Stock Position in Celanese Corporation $CE

Key Points

• Van ECK Associates more than doubled its Celanese position in the second quarter, adding 46,228 shares to own 89,406 shares valued at approximately $4.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 98.87% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with nine Buy ratings, seven Holds and one Sell; the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $63.71.
• Celanese reported quarterly EPS of $2.45, exceeding the $2.23 estimate, while revenue rose 8.7% year over year to $2.75 billion. Shares opened at $45.25, and the company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.03 per share.

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE - Free Report) by 107.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 89,406 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 46,228 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.08% of Celanese worth $4,113,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Celanese by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 662 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in Celanese in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Celanese by 175.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 896 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Celanese in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Celanese from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Celanese from $72.00 to $58.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Celanese from $72.00 to $63.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Celanese from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Celanese from $53.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Celanese presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $63.71.

Insider Activity at Celanese

In related news, SVP Mark Murray purchased 2,153 shares of Celanese stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president directly owned 30,432 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,385,264.64. The trade was a 7.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Celanese Stock Down 3.0%

NYSE:CE opened at $45.25 on Friday. Celanese Corporation has a 1-year low of $35.13 and a 1-year high of $70.70. The company has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a PE ratio of -4.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.76. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $45.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Celanese (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Celanese has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.750 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Celanese Corporation will post 5.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th were issued a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 28th. Celanese's payout ratio is -1.12%.

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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