Celanese (NYSE:CE) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Strong Sell”

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

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Tudor Pickering upgraded Celanese from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Celanese from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target 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. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Celanese from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $45.00 target price (down from $55.00) on shares of Celanese in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $53.06.

Celanese Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CE opened at $48.13 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.27 billion, a PE ratio of -1.70 and a beta of 1.12. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $42.08 and a 200-day moving average of $44.91. Celanese has a one year low of $35.13 and a one year high of $75.84.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.44 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Celanese has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.850-1.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Celanese will post 8.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Celanese

In other Celanese news, CFO Chuck Kyrish bought 5,000 shares of Celanese stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was purchased 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 directly owned 10,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $447,801.42. The trade was a 84.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CE. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased 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 acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in Celanese during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Celanese by 140.4% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 827 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Celanese in the third quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 98.87% of the company’s stock.

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.