Celanese (NYSE:CE) Shares Gap Up Following Earnings Beat

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Friday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $36.11, but opened at $39.21. Celanese shares last traded at $39.6660, with a volume of 517,478 shares trading hands.

The basic materials company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. Celanese had a negative net margin of 16.30% and a positive return on equity of 10.48%. The company’s revenue was down 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.44 EPS. Celanese has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.850-1.000 EPS.

Celanese Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 28th will be given a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 28th. Celanese’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -0.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on CE shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Celanese in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research downgraded Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Mizuho upped their target price on Celanese from $50.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Cfra Research raised shares of Celanese to a “moderate sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $52.00 price target on shares of Celanese and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $56.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Celanese news, Director Timothy Go purchased 1,039 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $46.25 per share, for a total transaction of $48,053.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $204,193.75. This represents a 30.78% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 73.2% during the first quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 440 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Celanese by 111.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in Celanese during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Celanese by 140.4% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 827 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.87% of the company’s stock.

Celanese Stock Up 14.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, a PE ratio of -2.79, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $42.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.91.

Celanese Company Profile

Celanese Corporation, a chemical and specialty materials company, manufactures and sells high performance engineered polymers in the United States and internationally. It operates through Engineered Materials and Acetyl Chain. The Engineered Materials segment develops, produces, and supplies specialty polymers for automotive and medical applications, as well as for use in industrial products and consumer electronics.