Zacks Research Downgrades Celanese (NYSE:CE) to Strong Sell

Celanese (NYSE:CE) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Celanese from $59.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Celanese from $75.00 to $45.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Celanese from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Celanese from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Celanese from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $53.06.

Celanese Trading Up 8.8%

NYSE:CE opened at $48.13 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $5.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.70 and a beta of 1.12. Celanese has a one year low of $35.13 and a one year high of $75.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.63. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.91.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.07. Celanese had a positive return on equity of 9.87% and a negative net margin of 31.85%.The company had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.44 EPS. Celanese’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Celanese has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.850-1.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Celanese will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Chuck Kyrish bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $41.03 per share, with a total value of $205,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $447,801.42. This represents a 84.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celanese

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 149.6% in the second quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 1,248,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $69,055,000 after buying an additional 747,987 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Celanese during the second quarter worth about $340,000. Muhlenkamp & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Celanese in the second quarter worth about $8,366,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Celanese by 0.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,866,515 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $103,301,000 after acquiring an additional 13,042 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey lifted its holdings in Celanese by 163.8% in the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 26,120 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.87% of the company’s stock.

About Celanese

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.