Celanese (NYSE:CE) Stock Price Up 9.7% on Analyst Upgrade

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE)’s stock price traded 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 mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 2,469,374 shares. The stock had previously closed at $51.94.

CE has been the topic of several other reports. Zacks Research cut Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Celanese from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Tudor Pickering raised Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Celanese from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $59.72.

Key Headlines Impacting Celanese

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management and filings emphasized notable deleveraging progress — reported 2025 free cash flow of $773M, a 2026 FCF target of $650–$750M, and cost-savings plans; refinancing actions reduced near-term maturities, easing refinancing risk. These items support a clearer path to debt paydown and likely drove buyer interest. QuiverQuant Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Proceeds from the Micromax business sale ($492M closed Feb 2, 2026) provide near-term optionality to accelerate debt reduction, reinforcing the deleveraging thesis. Source
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile analyst support: Citigroup raised its price target to $81 and reiterated a Buy, and other boutiques (Tudor Pickering, Vertical Research) upgraded the stock — these reports can trigger buying and multiple expansion. Benzinga (Citigroup) Tudor Pickering Vertical Research
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider purchases (CFO and CEO buys disclosed) and substantial institutional trading activity were noted — insider buying is a positive signal, but hedge-fund flows remain mixed which could add volatility. QuiverQuant (insider & institutional activity)
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector context noted by some outlets (e.g., commentary on chemical-cycle normalization and geopolitical impacts) may be amplifying moves but are not company-specific catalysts. 247wallst
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research continues to carry bearish/Strong Sell views and has cut multiple near-term EPS forecasts for 2026–2027, which highlights downside risk if operating leverage or macro demand fail to improve as hoped. AmericanBankingNews (Zacks)

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Celanese

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CE. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new position in Celanese in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,171,000. AMG National Trust Bank lifted its position in shares of Celanese by 270.1% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 70,322 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,959,000 after purchasing an additional 51,322 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. lifted its position in shares of Celanese by 406.9% during the third quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 42,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,775,000 after purchasing an additional 33,854 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its stake in shares of Celanese by 163.8% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 42,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,327,000 after purchasing an additional 26,120 shares during the period. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Celanese in the third quarter worth about $6,057,000. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Celanese Trading Up 14.9%

The stock has a market capitalization of $6.54 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.63, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $50.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

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

Celanese Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 24th. Celanese’s payout ratio 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.