Celanese Corporation Common Stock (CE)

FairStock Score: 43/100 — MIXED

Key Financials

AI Analysis

AI-generated, general educational analysis — not personal investment advice.

At the close on 2026-10-13, Celanese traded at $44.73, giving a market value near $4.9B. On FairStock's calculations, that is 1.18 times book value but a negative P/E of -4.22, because the trailing EPS is -$10.59. The filed record explains why: in fiscal 2023 the company earned $1.9B, or $17.76 per diluted share, then in fiscal 2024 it lost $1.5B, or $14.11 per share, and in fiscal 2025 it lost $1.2B, or $10.64 per share. That is the essence of the Lynch TURNAROUND label: a profitable business that fell into losses after earlier profits. What interests me is the turn in recent quarters. In fiscal Q1 2026, the quarter ended 2026-03-31, revenue was $2.3B and net income was $44.0M, or $0.40 per share. In fiscal Q2 2026, the quarter ended 2026-06-30, revenue was $2.8B and net income was $125.0M, or $1.13 per share. Trailing free cash flow is $708M, a 14.4% FCF yield on the $4.9B market cap, and the Piotroski F-Score is 8/9. Those are not signs of a dying business. But the balance sheet and returns demand caution. Debt-to-equity is 2.70, Altman Z-Score is 1.11, ROE is -22.25%, ROCE is only 2.56%, revenue growth is -2.18%, and EV/EBITDA is 34.73. The moat in engineered polymers is modest and cyclical, not wide. At 1.18 times book, the price already discounts trouble. The question is whether recent profits are the start of a durable recovery or a brief bounce. I would want evidence of stable revenue and lower leverage before calling it a Graham-style bargain.

In plain English: Celanese makes engineered plastics and chemicals used in appliances and other products. The business looks weak overall: it lost money in its latest full year and carries a lot of debt, though the two most recent quarters were profitable. At $44.73, the price looks cheap compared with the company's accounting value and cash generation, but the losses and debt make it risky rather than a clear bargain.

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Data as of 2026-10-13 close · note generated 2026-10-15 · model deepseek-flash

Sources (SEC EDGAR): fiscal Q2 2026 10-Q (period ended 2026-06-30) · fiscal Q1 2026 10-Q (period ended 2026-03-31) · fiscal Q3 2025 10-Q (period ended 2025-09-30) · fiscal Q2 2025 10-Q (period ended 2025-06-30) · FY2025 10-K (period ended 2025-12-31) · FY2024 10-K (period ended 2024-12-31) · FY2023 10-K (period ended 2023-12-31)

Fundamentals from company filings and market-data providers; prices are end-of-day, not real-time. AI-generated analysis is general and educational — not personal investment advice. Scoring methodology · Score test · Disclaimer