Celanese (NYSE:CE) Raised to Overweight at Wells Fargo & Company

Celanese (NYSE:CE) was upgraded by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a $70.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $55.00. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price points to a potential upside of 21.21% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Vertical Research raised shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Celanese from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Celanese from $40.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird set a $65.00 price target on shares of Celanese in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Celanese has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.56.

Celanese Price Performance

Celanese stock opened at $57.75 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.33 billion, a PE ratio of -5.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $50.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.89. Celanese has a one year low of $35.13 and a one year high of $63.55.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last released its earnings results 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). Celanese had a negative net margin of 12.15% and a positive return on equity of 8.75%. The company had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Celanese has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.700-0.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Celanese will post 8.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Celanese

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Celanese by 111.1% in 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 last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Celanese by 55.4% during the second 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 last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in shares of Celanese during the third quarter worth $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Celanese by 140.4% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in shares of Celanese in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Celanese News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded CE from “Equal Weight” to “Overweight” and lifted its target to $70, citing the company as a beneficiary of tighter fundamentals among chemical names — a catalyst cited for part of the recent rally. Wells Fargo Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $81 and maintained a Buy view, providing another high‑profile bullish signal that helped push sentiment and multiple expansion. Citigroup Raises Target to $81
• Positive Sentiment: Company-level balance‑sheet catalysts: filings and analyst notes highlighted strong 2025 free cash flow, a 2026 FCF target, reduced near‑term maturities from refinancing, and the $492M Micromax sale — all supporting a deleveraging narrative that drove investor re‑rating. Deleveraging / FCF Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/geopolitical angle: several coverage notes flagged CE as a potential beneficiary of Middle East tensions (commodity/chemical price and demand effects), prompting a “top pick” designation in some outlets and adding to short‑covering. Top Pick / Middle East Tension Rationale
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical signal: Celanese’s Relative Strength (RS) rating jumped to 87, reflecting strong recent price performance — a technical positive but not a fundamental change. RS Rating to 87
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish earnings previews: Zacks and other outlets published downside/negative estimates for upcoming quarters, keeping near‑term earnings risk alive and giving investors reason to trim positions after the sharp rally. Zacks Negative Outlook

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.