Celanese Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:CE)

Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders acquired 5,591 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 162% compared to the average daily volume of 2,138 call options.

Celanese Stock Performance

Shares of CE stock opened at $46.41 on Wednesday. Celanese has a 52 week low of $35.13 and a 52 week high of $70.70. The company has a market capitalization of $5.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.64, a PEG ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $53.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.38.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last released its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. Celanese had a negative net margin of 11.54% and a positive return on equity of 9.92%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.57 earnings per share. Celanese has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.400 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Celanese will post 6.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Celanese Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Celanese’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Celanese from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Celanese from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. UBS Group upped their target price on Celanese from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Celanese in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Celanese from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.44.

Institutional Trading of Celanese

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Celanese by 111.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of Celanese during the third quarter worth $34,000. Hartford Financial Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 350.5% during the fourth quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 901 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 701 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Celanese by 100.0% in the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 662 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Celanese by 175.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 896 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the period. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.