Celanese (NYSE:CE) Upgraded by Vertical Research to “Buy” Rating

Celanese (NYSE:CE) was upgraded by stock analysts at Vertical Research from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Monday. The firm currently has a $60.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock. Vertical Research’s price objective points to a potential upside of 21.78% from the stock’s current price.

CE has been the subject of a number of other reports. Tudor Pickering raised Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Celanese in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore set a $63.00 price target on Celanese in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Celanese from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $59.39.

Celanese Stock Down 6.2%

CE stock opened at $49.27 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $5.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $49.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Celanese has a 12 month low of $35.13 and a 12 month high of $63.55.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.89 by ($0.22). Celanese had a positive return on equity of 8.75% and a negative net margin of 12.15%.The business had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Celanese has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.700-0.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Celanese will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Celanese

In other news, CFO Chuck Kyrish acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was bought at an average price 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 $447,801.42. The trade was a 84.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Celanese

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Celanese in the third quarter valued at $3,171,000. AMG National Trust Bank increased its holdings in shares of Celanese by 270.1% in the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 70,322 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,959,000 after acquiring an additional 51,322 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. raised its holdings in shares of Celanese by 406.9% during the third quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 42,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,775,000 after buying an additional 33,854 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its holdings in Celanese by 163.8% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 42,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,327,000 after buying an additional 26,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Celanese in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $6,057,000. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.