Citigroup Raises Celanese (NYSE:CE) Price Target to $81.00

Celanese (NYSE:CE) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at Citigroup from $75.00 to $81.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 40.26% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Celanese from $40.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Celanese in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research cut Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $60.56.

Celanese Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CE opened at $57.75 on Thursday. Celanese has a 12 month low of $35.13 and a 12 month high of $63.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $50.42 and a 200-day moving average of $44.91. 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 company has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Celanese in the third quarter valued at about $3,171,000. AMG National Trust Bank lifted its position in Celanese by 270.1% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 70,322 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,959,000 after purchasing an additional 51,322 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. grew its stake in Celanese by 406.9% during the third quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 42,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,775,000 after buying an additional 33,854 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its stake in Celanese by 163.8% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 42,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,327,000 after buying an additional 26,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Celanese in the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,057,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.87% of the company’s stock.

More Celanese News

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.