Citigroup Lowers Celanese (NYSE:CE) Price Target to $80.00

Celanese (NYSE:CE) had its target price decreased by equities research analysts at Citigroup from $84.00 to $80.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective points to a potential upside of 36.74% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on CE. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Celanese from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Celanese from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Celanese from $50.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Celanese currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.06.

Celanese Stock Down 5.8%

NYSE:CE traded down $3.62 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $58.51. 3,035,208 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,505,191. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $60.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $49.85. The firm has a market cap of $6.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.55. Celanese has a twelve month low of $35.13 and a twelve month high of $70.70.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.34 billion. Celanese had a negative net margin of 11.54% and a positive return on equity of 9.74%. The company’s revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.57 EPS. Celanese has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.400 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Celanese will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Celanese by 100.0% in the second 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. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in Celanese during the third quarter worth $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Celanese by 140.4% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Celanese by 175.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 896 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.87% of the company’s stock.

Celanese News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Celanese this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management raised Q2 2026 EPS guidance to $2.00–$2.40 (well above the ~$1.54 consensus), signaling a stronger back half and helping offset the Q1 miss. Conference call & press release
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street support: JPMorgan and Mizuho raised price targets (JPMorgan to $68, Mizuho to $65) and other firms (e.g., Morgan Stanley, Citi, Wells Fargo) have published higher targets — a sign analysts see upside from current levels. Analyst moves
• Positive Sentiment: Cost / margin actions: Celanese is advancing a $30M Nylon‑66 savings plan and reorganizing the nylon business to boost its Engineered Materials unit — these are near‑term margin levers. Nylon savings plan
• Positive Sentiment: Operational cash and operating profit improved in the quarter (management highlighted stronger cash flow), and insiders have made purchases — both supportive signs for near‑term liquidity and management conviction. Operating cash & insider activity
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic / sustainability work — Celanese and SharpCell are piloting carbon capture & utilization for airlaid nonwovens and pulp/paper, a longer‑term positive but unlikely to move near‑term earnings. CCU collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary is mixed but generally constructive — some forecasts call for strong price appreciation, but ratings vary (several “neutral”/target‑raise notes). Morgan Stanley note
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 misses and weak reported profit metrics: Celanese reported $0.85 EPS vs. a $0.88 consensus and revenue of $2.34B (down ~2.2% y/y); headline EPS and net‑income comparisons were disappointing and likely prompted profit‑taking. Q1 earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: Market performance and margin pressure: the stock has underperformed peers recently and the company reported a negative net margin, highlighting cyclical/end‑market weakness that investors worry could persist. Underperformance vs peers

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.