Celanese Corp (CE) stock analysis

P/E against its history

Not enough price and earnings history to compare.

P/E against the industry

Needs positive earnings and enough profitable companies in the industry.

EV/EBITDA above its 5-year median

Celanese's EV/EBITDA of 116.9 is above its 5-year median of 11.9.

P/B below the industry

Celanese's price-to-book of 1.36 is below the Chemicals and Allied Products median of 1.50.

Trading below fair value

The share price of $51.45 is below our fair value estimate of $87.24.

Margin of safety over 20%

The price is 41.0% below fair value, more than the 20% cushion we look for.

Revenue growing under 10% a year

Revenue grew -0.4% a year over the last three fiscal years, short of the 10% we look for.

EPS growth over 3 years

Needs positive EPS three years ago and today.

Earnings acceleration

Needs positive net income now, a year ago and five years ago.

Growing slower than the industry

Revenue grew -2.2% over the last twelve months; the Chemicals and Allied Products median is 5.7%.

Guidance raised

Celanese raised its full year adjusted earnings per share outlook on Aug 4, 2026.

Gross margin slipping

Gross margin was 20.9% over the last twelve months, against 21.7% a year earlier.

Return on equity under 15%

Return on equity was -24.8% over the last twelve months and averaged 13.5% over five years; we look for 15% on both.

Return on capital under 10%

Return on invested capital was -3.4%, below the 10% that usually covers the cost of capital.

Return on equity below the industry

Celanese's return on equity of -24.8% is below the Chemicals and Allied Products median of 3.7%.

Earnings over 5 years

Needs positive net income five years ago and in the latest year.

Net margin below its 5-year average

Net margin was -12.0% over the last twelve months, against a 5-year average of 6.5%.

Net margin below the industry

Celanese's net margin of -12.0% is below the Chemicals and Allied Products median of 0.8%.

High debt

Debt is 288% of shareholders' equity, above the 40% we consider low.

Debt rising against equity

Debt to equity rose from 106% five years ago to 288%.

Debt not well covered by cash flow

Operating cash flow over the last twelve months equals 8.2% of total debt; we look for at least 20%.

Interest not well covered

Operating income covers interest expense -1.0 times; we look for at least 5.

Short-term assets cover short-term debts

Current assets are 1.45 times current liabilities.

Elevated bankruptcy risk

The Altman Z-score is 1.31; above 3 is the safe zone and below 1.8 the distress zone.

Pays a dividend

Celanese paid dividends worth 0.2% of the share price over the last twelve months.

Yield below Treasuries

The 0.2% yield is below the 4.4% on a 1-year Treasury.

Yield below the top quarter

The top quarter of US dividend payers yield 3.8% or more; Celanese yields 0.2%.

Dividend stability

Fewer than five years of dividend history.

Earnings cover

Needs dividends paid and net income.

Covered by free cash flow

Dividends take 1.8% of free cash flow.