JPMorgan analyst Jeffery Zekauskas has placed Celanese on the bank's focus list, maintaining an overweight rating and raising the price target from $68 to $76, suggesting a 76% upside from the stock's recent close.
Zekauskas noted that earnings from Celanese's Acetyl Chain segment are anticipated to improve significantly in 2026, driven by price inflation in acetic acid derivatives and acetic acid itself. He described the stock as 'unloved' and pointed out that while the company's shares have declined approximately 10% in 2026, it reported better-than-expected second-quarter results.
Concerns remain regarding Celanese's financial leverage and high net debt-to-EBITDA ratio. However, Zekauskas believes the company has strong long-term investment characteristics, particularly as sales to electronics and medical customers are on the rise, with net sales to electronics customers increasing by 11% year-over-year and medical sales growing by 19% year-over-year in the second quarter.
Analysts are divided on Celanese, with 10 out of 18 covering analysts rating it a buy or strong buy, while the others have a hold or underperform rating