Celanese (NYSE:CE) Shares Gap Up After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Key Points

• Celanese shares jumped after the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.65, beating the $1.56 consensus estimate and rising from $1.34 a year earlier.
• Revenue increased 5.7% year over year to $2.56 billion but missed analyst expectations of $2.62 billion; pricing actions and commercial execution supported profitability.
• Management expects 2026 adjusted EPS of $6.00–$6.25, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $60.38, though high leverage and a negative reported net margin remain risks.

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $47.94, but opened at $50.57. Celanese shares last traded at $49.15, with a volume of 462,321 shares trading hands.

The basic materials company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.62 billion. Celanese had a negative net margin of 12.04% and a positive return on equity of 13.04%. Celanese's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.34 EPS.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 27th. Celanese's dividend payout ratio is -1.12%.

More Celanese News

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted EPS exceeded expectations. Celanese reported third-quarter earnings of $1.65 per share, above analyst estimates ranging from $1.52 to $1.56 and up from $1.34 in the year-ago quarter. Celanese Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Pricing strength and commercial execution supported profitability. Management attributed the earnings outperformance to pricing actions and execution, while higher cash flow improved the company’s financial position. Celanese Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Pricing Strength, Sales Miss
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year 2026 guidance was raised or positioned above consensus. Celanese expects adjusted EPS of $6.00 to $6.25, compared with the current consensus estimate of $6.00. The upper end of the range gives investors potential for earnings upside. Celanese Sees FY26 Adjusted EPS of $6.00 to $6.25
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue increased 5.7% year over year to $2.56 billion, indicating growth, but the result fell short of the $2.62 billion analyst consensus. Celanese Quarterly Earnings Data
• Negative Sentiment: Celanese continues to face balance-sheet and profitability concerns, including elevated debt relative to equity and a negative reported net margin, which could limit the stock’s upside despite the earnings beat.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on CE shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Celanese from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Celanese in a report on Thursday, September 10th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $57.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $50.00 price target on Celanese in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Celanese from $60.00 to $58.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Mizuho set a $50.00 target price on Celanese in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Celanese presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.38.

Insider Activity

In other Celanese news, SVP Mark Murray acquired 2,153 shares of Celanese stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought 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 directly owned 30,432 shares in the company, valued at $1,385,264.64. This trade represents a 7.61% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CE. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Celanese in the 2nd quarter valued at $614,675,000. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Celanese by 18.1% in the 1st quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,547,744 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $167,565,000 after purchasing an additional 391,204 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Celanese by 83.2% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,187,235 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $143,849,000 after purchasing an additional 993,193 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Celanese during the 2nd quarter valued at about $62,580,000. Finally, Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co grew its stake in Celanese by 8.4% during the first quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 836,733 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $55,032,000 after purchasing an additional 65,155 shares during the period. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Celanese Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.71.

Celanese Company Profile

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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