Celanese (NYSE:CE) Trading 3.6% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

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

CE has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Celanese in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $50.00 price target on shares of Celanese in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Celanese from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Mizuho set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Celanese in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Celanese from $57.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s 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 other Celanese news, SVP Mark Murray acquired 2,153 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $45.52 per share, for a total transaction of $98,004.56. Following the purchase, the senior vice president owned 30,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,385,264.64. The trade was a 7.61% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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 Trading of Celanese

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Celanese by 111.1% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Celanese by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 662 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of Celanese during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Celanese by 175.7% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Celanese in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 98.87% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Celanese Stock Up 1.0%

The company has a market cap of $5.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.32, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33. The business has a fifty day moving average of $45.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.76.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. Celanese had a positive return on equity of 13.04% and a negative net margin of 12.04%.Celanese’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. Celanese has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.750 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Celanese Corporation will post 5.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

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