Celanese (NYSE:CE) Trading Up 8.5% – Time to Buy?

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) traded up 8.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $47.60 and last traded at $47.98. 1,297,056 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 2,123,220 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.23.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on CE. Zacks Research downgraded Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Celanese from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Celanese from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $45.00 target price (down previously from $55.00) on shares of Celanese in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Celanese from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Celanese presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.06.

Celanese Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $42.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.86. The company has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.68 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.51 billion. Celanese had a negative net margin of 31.85% and a positive return on equity of 9.87%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.44 earnings per share. Celanese has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.850-1.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Celanese Corporation will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Celanese

In related news, CFO Chuck Kyrish bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $41.03 per share, with a total value of $205,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $447,801.42. This trade represents a 84.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Celanese

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CE. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Celanese by 111.1% in 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 during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Celanese by 55.4% in the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 623 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in Celanese during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Celanese by 140.4% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 827 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Celanese in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Celanese Company Profile

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.