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

Celanese Co. (NYSE:CE) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors acquired 11,714 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 317% compared to the typical volume of 2,810 put options.

Celanese Stock Performance

Celanese stock opened at $54.86 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.37. Celanese has a fifty-two week low of $52.97 and a fifty-two week high of $172.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $68.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $97.98. The company has a market capitalization of $6.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.52, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.17.

Celanese (NYSE:CE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.20. Celanese had a return on equity of 13.17% and a net margin of 10.40%. The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.36 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Celanese will post 8.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Celanese Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. Celanese’s payout ratio is currently 28.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Celanese from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Celanese from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Celanese from $120.00 to $86.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Vertical Research downgraded shares of Celanese from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $102.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CE. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Celanese by 128.8% in the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 183 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Celanese in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Celanese by 103.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the period. State of Wyoming increased its stake in shares of Celanese by 122.5% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 485 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CKW Financial Group lifted its holdings in shares of Celanese by 52.9% during the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 535 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Celanese Company Profile

Celanese Corporation, a chemical and specialty materials company, manufactures and sells high performance engineered polymers in the United States and internationally. It operates through Engineered Materials 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.