Celanese (CE) AI Stock Analysis

• Market Cap: $5.95B
• Dividend Yield: 0.22%
• Average Volume (3M): 1.73M
• Price to Earnings (P/E): 6.8
• Beta (1Y): 1.11
• Revenue Growth: -5.98%
• EPS Growth: -183.27%
• Country: US
• Employees: 11,000
• Sector: Basic Materials
• Sector Strength: 66
• Industry: Chemicals
• EPS (TTM): 0.57
• Shares Outstanding: 109,407,364
• 10 Day Avg. Volume: 1,625,610
• 30 Day Avg. Volume: 1,733,559
• PEG Ratio: 2.03
• Price to Book (P/B): 1.97
• Price to Sales (P/S): 0.00
• P/FCF Ratio: 8.68
• Enterprise Value/Market Cap: 4.14
• Enterprise Value/Revenue: 0.60
• Enterprise Value/Gross Profit: 10.81
• Enterprise Value/Ebitda: 5.25
• 1Y Price Target: $59.20
• Price Target Upside: 8.84% Upside
• Rating Consensus: Moderate Buy
• Number of Analyst Covering: 15

• Rating: 53 Neutral
• Price Target: $55.00 ▲(1.12%Upside)

Celanese's overall stock score reflects financial challenges with declining revenue and profitability pressures. Technical indicators offer a somewhat stable outlook, but valuation concerns persist due to negative earnings. Despite these challenges, effective cash flow management and ongoing cost reduction efforts provide some positive aspects, though uncertainty in demand remains a significant risk factor.

Positive Factors

Analyst Rating Upgrade

The rating on CE has been raised from Underperform to Market Perform, indicating improved confidence in the company's performance.

Debt Management

Recent refinancing actions have paid down most of Celanese's 2025 debt as well as a portion of its 2026 and 2027 maturities, providing ample liquidity entering 2026.

Financial Outlook

The target price for CE has been increased to $55, suggesting a more optimistic outlook for the company's stock.

Negative Factors

Debt Concerns

CE has struggled due to significant debt and macroeconomic uncertainty, affecting its financial performance.

Financial Risks

CE faces risks due to macro and end-market uncertainty, compounded by significant debt.

Operational Challenges

CE has struggled since the acquisition of the M&M business, leading to a focus on 'cash at all cost' mode at the expense of earnings and equity holders.

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 Tow, and Acetyl Chain. The Engineered Materials segment develops, produces, and supplies specialty polymers for automotive and medical applications, as well as for use in industrial products and consumer electronics. It also offers acesulfame potassium, a sweetener for use in various beverages, confections, and dairy products; and food protection ingredients, such as potassium sorbate and sorbic acid for use in foods, beverages, and personal care products. The Acetate Tow segment provides acetate tows and flakes for use in filter products applications. The Acetyl Chain segment produces and supplies acetyl products, including acetic acid, vinyl acetate monomers, acetic anhydride, and acetate esters that are used as starting materials for colorants, paints, adhesives, coatings, and pharmaceuticals; and organic solvents and intermediates for pharmaceutical, agricultural, and chemical products. It also offers vinyl acetate-based emulsions for use in paints and coatings, adhesives, construction, glass fiber, textiles, and paper applications; and ethylene vinyl acetate resins and compounds, as well as low-density polyethylene for use in flexible packaging films, lamination film products, hot melt adhesives, automotive parts, and carpeting applications. In addition, it manufactures ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Celanese Corporation was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

How the Company Makes Money

Celanese makes money primarily through the production and sale of acetyl products and engineered materials. The Acetyl Chain segment, which includes acetic acid, vinyl acetate monomer, and other acetyl derivatives, generates revenue by serving as a key supplier to various industries like paints, coatings, adhesives, and pharmaceuticals. The Materials Solutions segment provides high-performance engineering polymers and thermoplastics used in automotive, electronics, and medical applications. The company leverages its global manufacturing footprint and research and development capabilities to innovate and meet customer demands. Additionally, strategic partnerships and long-term contracts with major industrial players contribute significantly to Celanese's earnings, providing a stable revenue stream.

Celanese Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Celanese faces financial challenges with declining revenue and profitability pressures. The income statement shows negative margins and revenue growth, while the balance sheet and cash flow indicate some stability through improved debt management and positive cash flow generation.

Income Statement

The income statement shows a challenging environment for Celanese, with declining revenue and significant losses. Gross profit margin remains positive at 22.33% for TTM, but net profit margin is negative due to substantial net losses. Revenue growth has been negative recently, indicating a downturn in top-line performance. The negative EBIT and EBITDA margins further highlight operational inefficiencies.

Balance Sheet

Celanese's balance sheet reflects a mixed performance. The debt-to-equity ratio has improved to 0.13 in the TTM period, suggesting better capital structure management. However, the return on equity is negative due to net losses. The equity ratio stands at 22.35%, indicating a moderate level of equity financing compared to total assets.

Cash Flow

Cash flow analysis shows stability with a positive operating cash flow to net income ratio, indicating efficient cash generation despite net losses. Free cash flow growth rate has been positive recently, which is a good sign. The ability to generate free cash flow despite adverse income statement figures provides some comfort regarding liquidity.

Breakdown
TTM	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021	Dec 2020
Income Statement		Total Revenue
10.06B	10.28B	10.94B	9.67B	8.54B	5.66B
	Gross Profit
2.28B	2.36B	2.60B	2.38B	2.68B	1.29B
	EBIT
-668.00M	-697.00M	1.69B	1.38B	1.95B	664.00M
	EBITDA
-11.00M	456.00M	2.61B	2.29B	2.72B	2.71B
	Net Income Common Stockholders
-1.66B	-1.52B	1.96B	1.89B	1.89B	1.99B
Balance Sheet		Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments
951.00M	962.00M	1.80B	1.51B	546.00M	1.49B
	Total Assets
23.20B	22.86B	26.60B	26.27B	11.97B	10.91B
	Total Debt
13.15B	12.95B	14.10B	15.13B	4.20B	3.97B
	Net Debt
12.20B	11.99B	12.29B	13.62B	3.67B	3.01B
	Total Liabilities
17.58B	17.25B	19.05B	20.17B	7.44B	7.01B
	Stockholders Equity
5.19B	5.17B	7.09B	5.64B	4.19B	3.53B
Cash Flow		Free Cash Flow
502.00M	531.00M	1.33B	1.28B	1.29B	979.00M
	Operating Cash Flow
902.00M	966.00M	1.90B	1.82B	1.76B	1.34B
	Investing Cash Flow
-417.00M	-470.00M	-134.00M	-11.14B	-1.12B	592.00M
	Financing Cash Flow
-1.01B	-1.31B	-1.46B	10.29B	-1.04B	-1.47B

Celanese Technical Analysis

• Technical Analysis Sentiment: Negative
• Last Price: 54.39
• 50DMA: Positive
• 100DMA: Positive
• 200DMA: Negative
• MACD: Positive
• RSI: Neutral
• STOCH: 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 54.39 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 54.84, above the 50-day MA of 49.20, and below the 200-day MA of 76.08, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of 1.33 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 51.47 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 17.15 is Positive, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for CE.

Celanese Peers Comparison

Name	Overall Rating	Market Cap	P/E Ratio	ROE	Dividend Yield	Revenue Growth	EPS Growth
WLKP	72 Outperform	$778.07M	14.82	10.22%	8.54%	-6.76%	-3.19%
DOW	69 Neutral	$21.61B	76.41	1.60%	9.82%	-2.08%	-76.11%
TROX	56 Neutral	$869.96M	―	-8.44%	9.09%	4.15%	57.25%
CE	53 Neutral	$5.95B	6.84	-26.94%	0.22%	-5.98%	-183.27%
Sector *	51 Neutral	$2.01B	-1.27	-21.11%	5.15%	2.92%	-30.46%
BAK	46 Neutral	$1.53B	―	-8638.28%	―	0.81%	-34.74%
HUN	46 Neutral	$1.82B	―	-4.46%	9.57%	0.02%	-43.65%

Celanese Corporate Events

Celanese Shareholders Approve Key Governance Amendments

During the 2025 Annual Meeting, Celanese shareholders voted on several key proposals including the election of thirteen directors, ratification of KPMG LLP as the independent auditor, and approval of executive compensation. Additionally, shareholders approved amendments to the company’s Charter and By-laws, allowing for changes by majority vote, filling of open Board seats at special meetings, and removal of directors by majority vote. These decisions reflect a significant alignment with shareholder interests and could influence the company’s governance structure and operational flexibility.

The most recent analyst rating on (CE) stock is a Hold with a $66.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Celanese stock, see the CE Stock Forecast page.

Celanese to Present Q1 2025 Financial Results

On May 6, 2025, Celanese Corporation, led by CEO Scott A. Richardson, will present its first quarter 2025 financial results to investors and analysts via a webcast. The presentation will include insights into the company’s financial performance, utilizing both US GAAP and Non-US GAAP financial measures, which are defined and reconciled in accompanying documents available on their website.