Celanese (NYSE:CE) Shares Up 3.6% Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) were up 3.6% during trading on Thursday after KeyCorp upgraded the stock to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $45.85 and last traded at $46.07. 239,522 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 2,131,187 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.45.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Bank of America reduced their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen lowered Celanese from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Celanese in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Celanese from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Celanese in a report on Friday, August 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Celanese currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Mark Murray acquired 2,153 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $45.52 per share, for a total transaction of $98,004.56. Following the acquisition, the senior vice president directly owned 30,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,385,264.64. This represents a 7.61% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Celanese News Summary

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Celanese by 111.1% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in Celanese in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Celanese by 100.0% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 662 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Celanese by 175.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 896 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Celanese in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Celanese Trading Up 1.0%

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a PE ratio of -4.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.76. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $45.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.76. 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) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. Celanese’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Celanese has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.750 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Celanese Corporation will post 5.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th were paid a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 28th. Celanese’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1.12%.

Celanese Company Profile

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.