Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $15.59 and last traded at $15.62, with a volume of 66459 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $16.04.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HUN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Alembic Global Advisors lowered Huntsman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Huntsman from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Huntsman from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Huntsman from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Huntsman presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.63.

Huntsman Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.95. The company has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.16 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported ($0.25) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.45 billion. Huntsman had a negative return on equity of 0.39% and a negative net margin of 3.13%. As a group, analysts predict that Huntsman Co. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio is currently -90.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Huntsman

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 38,070 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $686,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 74.9% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,232 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 956 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 9,261 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 1,163 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 31,694 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $571,000 after acquiring an additional 1,212 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 13,550 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $244,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233 shares during the period. 84.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Huntsman Company Profile

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.