Celanese (CE)
NYSE:CE
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Celanese
(NYSE:CE)
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Rating:52Neutral
Price Target:
$58.00
▼(-6.50% Downside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:05/09/26
The score is held back primarily by weak financial performance (losses, large revenue decline, and high leverage) and bearish technicals (trading below key moving averages with oversold momentum). These are partially offset by positive free cash flow, very high dividend yield, and cautiously optimistic guidance pointing to a potential back-half improvement, though near-term operational and demand headwinds remain meaningful.
Positive Factors
Positive free cash flow
Trailing‑12‑month operating cash flow and free cash flow are positive and improved year‑over‑year, giving Celanese a durable liquidity cushion. This cash generation can fund turnarounds, repay debt, and finance cost programs without relying solely on volatile earnings or external financing.
Negative Factors
Elevated leverage
Debt at roughly 3x equity materially raises financial risk and constrains flexibility to invest, repurchase stock, or absorb further operating shocks. High leverage magnifies earnings volatility into solvency pressure and limits ability to pursue strategic options until leverage is meaningfully reduced.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Positive free cash flow
Trailing‑12‑month operating cash flow and free cash flow are positive and improved year‑over‑year, giving Celanese a durable liquidity cushion. This cash generation can fund turnarounds, repay debt, and finance cost programs without relying solely on volatile earnings or external financing.
Read all positive factors
Celanese Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Any
Net Sales By Segment
Reveals revenue generated from each business unit, highlighting which segments drive growth and where the company might need to improve or expand.
Reveals revenue generated from each business unit, highlighting which segments drive growth and where the company might need to improve or expand.
Data provided by:
The Fly
The FlyCelanese (CE) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$5.80B
Dividend Yield0.29%
Average Volume (3M)2.21M
Price to Earnings (P/E)41.0
Beta (1Y)0.78
Revenue Growth-5.63%
EPS Growth34.29%
CountryUS
Employees11,000
SectorBasic Materials
Sector Strength58
IndustryChemicals
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)-10.00
Shares Outstanding109,662,540
10 Day Avg. Volume2,191,680
30 Day Avg. Volume2,207,766
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio0.17
Price to Book (P/B)1.14
Price to Sales (P/S)0.49
P/FCF Ratio5.77
Enterprise Value/Market Cap2.85
Enterprise Value/Revenue1.74
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit8.79
Enterprise Value/Ebitda49.97
Forecast
1Y Price Target
$70.00Price Target Upside12.85% Upside
Rating ConsensusModerate Buy
Number of Analyst Covering14
EPS Forecast (FY)6.12
Revenue Forecast (FY)$10.10B
Celanese Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
Celanese Corporation, a technology and specialty materials company, manufactures and sells high performance engineered polymers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Engineered Materials, Acetate To...
How the Company Makes Money
Celanese primarily makes money by producing chemical and materials products and selling them to business customers (B2B) under supply agreements and purchase orders, generating revenue largely based on shipment volumes and market- and contract-bas...
Celanese Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Date:May 05, 2026
(Q1-2026)
| % Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Jul 16, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call was cautiously optimistic: management provided a constructive back‑half EPS target (~$3) and highlighted several operational strengths — a sizable expected Q2 improvement in the acetyl chain, EM margin progress (now north of 20%), targeted $30M in nylon savings, Clear Lake’s high utilization and global network flexibility, and price pass-through beginning to flow into P&L. However, the company also flagged meaningful near‑term headwinds: weak end‑market demand, supply‑chain and shipping disruptions (including benzene asset outages), regional pricing volatility (China), planned turnarounds and absorption hits (Q2 and H2), and working capital timing that will defer some cash conversion. Overall, the positives (guidance, margin improvement, targeted cost savings and operational flexibility) modestly outweigh the near‑term risks and uncertainties.Positive Updates
Back-Half EPS Guidance of $3 per Share
Company is guiding to ~$3.00 in EPS for the back half of FY2026, assuming supply chains begin to unwind by the end of Q2; management emphasizes focus on cash generation and positioning for resilience.
Negative Updates
Persistent Weak End-Market Demand
Management repeatedly noted major end markets remain weak (demand low at end‑use level), creating uncertainty around volumes and requiring conservative scenario planning for the second half.
Read all updates
Q1-2026 Updates
Positive
Negative
Back-Half EPS Guidance of $3 per Share
Company is guiding to ~$3.00 in EPS for the back half of FY2026, assuming supply chains begin to unwind by the end of Q2; management emphasizes focus on cash generation and positioning for resilience.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Management guided to roughly $3 of EPS for the back half of 2026, assuming supply chains begin to unwind by the end of Q2 and volumes/margins moderate thereafter; they expect Frankfurt to operate into H2 (with U.S. VAM turnarounds through year‑end) and flagged a large Q2 acetyl uplift (management referenced an incremental lift “a little less than $200M” versus Q1, weighted to the Western Hemisphere and driven downstream into VAM/vinyls). On Engineered Materials, they expect an additional ~$50M of H2 absorption-related impact (described as ~ $35M of absorption hits over the year plus ~$15M of Q2 turnaround expense), noting Q1 benefited from a ~$25M POM inventory build while Q2 carries a net ~$10M absorption hit; they reiterated ~$30M of targeted nylon cost savings (≈1/3, ~ $10M, in H2) with <1‑year payback, cited Micromax at ~ $40M of EBITDA, and said midpoint guidance implies a few hundred million of incremental EBITDA that will flow to free cash flow roughly half in 2026 / half in 2027, with normal Q3–Q4 seasonality of about $25–30M per business.Celanese Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
24
Negative
Balance Sheet
30
Negative
Cash Flow
58
Neutral
| Breakdown | TTM | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2022 | Dec 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 9.49B | 9.54B | 10.28B | 10.94B | 9.67B | 8.54B |
| Gross Profit | 1.88B | 1.79B | 2.36B | 2.60B | 2.38B | 2.68B |
| EBITDA | 331.00M | 292.00M | 503.00M | 2.61B | 2.30B | 2.72B |
| Net Income | -1.09B | -1.17B | -1.52B | 1.96B | 1.89B | 1.89B |
Balance Sheet | ||||||
| Total Assets | 21.73B | 21.70B | 22.86B | 26.60B | 26.27B | 11.97B |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 1.76B | 1.26B | 962.00M | 1.80B | 1.51B | 546.00M |
| Total Debt | 12.55B | 12.93B | 12.95B | 14.10B | 15.13B | 4.20B |
| Total Liabilities | 17.25B | 17.22B | 17.25B | 19.05B | 20.17B | 7.44B |
| Stockholders Equity | 4.06B | 4.05B | 5.17B | 7.09B | 5.64B | 4.19B |
Cash Flow | ||||||
| Free Cash Flow | 944.00M | 803.00M | 531.00M | 1.33B | 1.28B | 1.29B |
| Operating Cash Flow | 1.19B | 1.15B | 966.00M | 1.90B | 1.82B | 1.76B |
| Investing Cash Flow | 174.00M | -349.00M | -470.00M | -134.00M | -11.14B | -1.12B |
| Financing Cash Flow | -561.00M | -513.00M | -1.31B | -1.46B | 10.29B | -1.04B |
Celanese Technical Analysis
Negative
62.03
Price Trends
61.82
Negative
55.73
Negative
48.99
Positive
Market Momentum
-2.71
Positive
31.05
Neutral
11.06
Positive
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For CE, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 62.03 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 60.42, above the 50-day MA of 61.82, and above the 200-day MA of 48.99, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of -2.71 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 31.05 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 11.06 is Positive, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for CE.
Celanese Risk Analysis
Celanese disclosed 4 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Celanese reported the most risks in the "Macro & Political" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks
Celanese Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
61 Neutral | $10.43B | 7.12 | -0.05% | 2.87% | 2.86% | -36.73% | |
61 Neutral | $2.52B | -10.86 | -11.76% | 8.44% | -4.74% | -149.27% | |
55 Neutral | $588.52M | ― | 1.28% | 3.81% | -0.63% | -87.72% | |
52 Neutral | $5.80B | 40.99 | -25.26% | 0.29% | -5.63% | 34.29% | |
52 Neutral | $25.88B | -16.88 | -16.73% | 9.17% | -7.74% | -1093.11% | |
49 Neutral | $1.60B | 1.31 | 142.56% | ― | -13.10% | -0.68% | |
47 Neutral | $1.23B | -3.77 | -31.25% | 8.27% | -4.02% | -206.93% |
* Basic Materials Sector Average
CE
Celanese
52.39
<0.01
0.02%
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Celanese Corporate Events
Financial Disclosures
Celanese Schedules Webcast for First-Quarter 2026 Results
Neutral
May 5, 2026
On May 6, 2026, Celanese President and CEO Scott A. Richardson will present the company’s first-quarter 2026 financial results to investors and analysts via a webcast hosted by the company. The webcast materials, including a press release, p...
Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes
Celanese Expands Board, Adds Industry Veteran Anne Noonan
Positive
Apr 20, 2026
On April 16, 2026, Celanese Corporation’s board voted to expand its membership from nine to 10 directors and elected industry veteran Anne P. Noonan, 62, to the board, effective April 20, 2026, with plans for her to stand for re-election at ...
Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
Celanese Shareholders Back Board, Auditor and Executive Pay
Positive
Apr 17, 2026
On April 16, 2026, Celanese Corporation held its 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, where investors voted on the election of nine directors, the ratification of KPMG LLP as independent auditor for 2026, and an advisory resolution on executive co...
Executive/Board Changes
Celanese Announces Routine Board Transition After Director Resignation
Neutral
Mar 4, 2026
On February 27, 2026, Celanese Corporation announced that Board member Timothy Go resigned from the Board of Directors, effective the same day. The company stated that his resignation did not stem from any disagreement over operations, policies, o...
Financial Disclosures
Celanese to Present Q4 and Full-Year 2025 Results
Neutral
Feb 17, 2026
On February 18, 2026, Celanese President and CEO Scott A. Richardson is scheduled to present the company’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results to investors and analysts via a company-hosted webcast. The event materials, inclu...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.