Citigroup Has Lowered Expectations for Celanese (NYSE:CE) Stock Price

Celanese (NYSE:CE) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Citigroup from $84.00 to $80.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Citigroup’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 39.86% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Celanese from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Celanese from $50.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Celanese from $53.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Celanese from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.35.

Celanese Stock Performance

NYSE:CE opened at $57.20 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $60.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.97. Celanese has a 1-year low of $35.13 and a 1-year high of $70.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $6.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.81.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by ($0.03). Celanese had a negative net margin of 11.54% and a positive return on equity of 9.92%. The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Celanese has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.400 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Celanese will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CE. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Celanese by 1,539.8% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,133,216 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $90,192,000 after purchasing an additional 2,003,127 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in Celanese by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,565,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $235,312,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076,645 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Celanese by 83.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,187,235 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $143,849,000 after purchasing an additional 993,193 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Celanese by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,115,365 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $215,255,000 after purchasing an additional 887,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Celanese by 103.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,645,689 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $91,056,000 after purchasing an additional 837,944 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.87% of the company’s stock.

Celanese News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Celanese to $80 from $75 and reiterated an overweight rating, signaling confidence in upside from current levels. Wells Fargo target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho also increased its price target on Celanese to $65, adding to the recent analyst optimism around the stock. Mizuho target raise
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan and Citigroup both lifted their targets on Celanese as well, and Citi kept a buy rating, suggesting analysts see recovery potential despite near-term volatility. JPMorgan and Citigroup target changes
• Positive Sentiment: Several research notes and earnings-call coverage highlight expectations for stronger earnings in the second half of 2026, including a target of $3 EPS in 2H 2026 tied to Celanese’s Nylon 66 savings plan. 2H 2026 EPS and savings plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Celanese’s Q1 earnings transcript and snapshot drew attention after the company reported results that missed analyst expectations, keeping sentiment mixed as investors assess the earnings outlook. Q1 2026 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: The biggest negative for Celanese is the earnings miss, which has been weighing on the stock and appears to be driving today’s weaker trading despite the analyst support. Earnings missed analyst estimates

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.