Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eight research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $25.75.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Huntsman from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Huntsman from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Huntsman from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th.

Insider Activity

In other Huntsman news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 20,201 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total value of $432,705.42. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntsman

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. boosted its stake in Huntsman by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. now owns 152,577 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,474,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP boosted its position in shares of Huntsman by 3.3% during the second quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP now owns 24,568 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $559,000 after buying an additional 795 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in Huntsman by 2.1% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 41,771 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $951,000 after buying an additional 863 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new stake in Huntsman in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Shayne & Jacobs LLC boosted its holdings in Huntsman by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Shayne & Jacobs LLC now owns 94,316 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,282,000 after acquiring an additional 1,140 shares during the last quarter. 84.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Huntsman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HUN opened at $19.73 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $22.25 and a 200-day moving average of $22.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a PE ratio of -28.59 and a beta of 1.02. Huntsman has a 12 month low of $19.11 and a 12 month high of $27.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10. Huntsman had a negative return on equity of 0.03% and a negative net margin of 1.99%. The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.55 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Huntsman will post 0.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -144.93%.

About Huntsman

Huntsman Corporation manufactures and sells diversified organic chemical products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Polyurethanes, Performance Products, and Advanced Materials. The Polyurethanes segment offers polyurethane chemicals, including methyl diphenyl diisocyanate, polyether and polyester polyols, and thermoplastic polyurethane; and aniline, benzene, nitrobenzene and other co-products.