Celanese (NYSE:CE) Trading Down 7.3% – Here’s What Happened
by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat GemCelanese Corporation (NYSE:CE – Get Free Report) was down 7.3% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $49.39 and last traded at $49.1970. Approximately 877,968 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 63% from the average daily volume of 2,379,445 shares. The stock had previously closed at $53.09.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms have recently commented on CE. Evercore set a $63.00 price objective on Celanese in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Celanese in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Celanese from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird set a $65.00 target price on shares of Celanese in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Celanese from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $59.72.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Celanese
Celanese Stock Performance
The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.71, a PEG ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.12.
Celanese (NYSE:CE – Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The firm had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. Celanese had a negative net margin of 12.15% and a positive return on equity of 8.75%. Celanese’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. Celanese has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.700-0.850 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Celanese Corporation will post 8.79 EPS for the current year.
Celanese Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Celanese’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1.13%.
Insider Activity
In other Celanese news, CFO Chuck Kyrish purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $41.03 per share, for a total transaction of $205,150.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 10,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $447,801.42. The trade was a 84.55% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CE. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Celanese by 111.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in Celanese in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Celanese by 140.4% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 827 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Celanese in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
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.