Celanese (NYSE:CE) Trading 9.7% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) shot up 9.7% during trading on Thursday after Citigroup raised their price target on the stock from $75.00 to $81.00. Citigroup currently has a buy rating on the stock. Celanese traded as high as $56.24 and last traded at $57.0010. 742,560 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 2,469,374 shares. The stock had previously closed at $51.94.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Celanese from $40.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Celanese from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Evercore set a $63.00 price objective on Celanese in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Celanese from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $59.72.

Celanese News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tudor Pickering upgraded Celanese to a “Buy,” signaling confidence from an energy-focused research house and likely supporting the stock’s rally by attracting buyer interest. Celanese (NYSE:CE) Raised to “Buy” at Tudor Pickering
• Positive Sentiment: Vertical Research also upgraded the stock to “Buy,” adding upward analyst momentum and reinforcing short-term investor demand. Vertical Research Upgrades Celanese (NYSE:CE) to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: 247WallStreet raised a price target to $81, citing the Iran conflict as a catalyst that has boosted demand/pricing dynamics in relevant commodity and chemical markets; that bullish narrative supports upside expectations. Celanese Price Prediction: Iran Conflict Pushes CE Price Target to $81
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks issued a mixed set of model changes — it modestly raised a Q3 2027 quarter estimate but the move is small and contained within broader negative revisions; this particular revision alone is unlikely to materially change near-term fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple near-term and full-year EPS forecasts (Q1–Q2 2026, FY2026, several 2027 quarters) and maintains a “Strong Sell” rating — those downgrades increase downside risk, raise investor caution, and likely weighed on sentiment before upgrades offset some of that pressure. Zacks Research Has Bearish Estimate for Celanese Q3 Earnings

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position 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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased 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 during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Celanese by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 662 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of Celanese during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new position in shares of Celanese during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 98.87% of the company’s stock.

Celanese Trading Up 15.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.73.

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

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Celanese’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1.13%.

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.