Celanese (NYSE:CE) Price Target Raised to $81.00

Celanese (NYSE:CE) had its target price hoisted by Citigroup from $75.00 to $81.00 in a research note released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on CE. Mizuho increased their price objective on Celanese from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Celanese from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 9th. Zacks Research cut shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Celanese has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $60.56.

Celanese Price Performance

Shares of CE opened at $57.75 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $50.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.89. Celanese has a twelve month low of $35.13 and a twelve month high of $63.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a PE ratio of -5.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.07.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly 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. Research analysts anticipate that Celanese will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th were given a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Celanese’s payout ratio is currently -1.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CE. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Celanese by 55.4% during the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 623 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Celanese during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in Celanese in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Celanese

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.