Insider Buying: Celanese (NYSE:CE) SVP Purchases 2,153 Shares of Stock

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) SVP Mark Christopher Murray acquired 2,153 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $45.52 per share, with a total value of $98,004.56. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president directly owned 30,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,385,264.64. This represents a 7.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Celanese Price Performance

Shares of CE traded down $1.38 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $43.46. 1,226,538 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,238,510. The company has a market cap of $4.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.76. Celanese Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $35.13 and a fifty-two week high of $70.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $47.76 and its 200 day moving average is $53.90.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The basic materials company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.22. Celanese had a positive return on equity of 13.04% and a negative net margin of 12.04%.The business had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. Celanese’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Celanese has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.750 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Celanese Corporation will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th were given a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Celanese’s payout ratio is presently -1.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on CE shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Celanese from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Celanese from $57.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Celanese from $72.00 to $58.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Celanese from $72.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Mizuho set a $50.00 price objective on Celanese in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Celanese currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.88.

Institutional Trading of Celanese

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CE. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted 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 in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in Celanese in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Celanese by 100.0% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 662 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Celanese by 175.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 896 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Celanese in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors 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.