Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Put Options on Huntsman (NYSE:HUN)

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders purchased 15,037 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 817% compared to the average daily volume of 1,640 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HUN. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Huntsman from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Huntsman from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $25.43.

Huntsman Price Performance

HUN stock opened at $18.57 on Wednesday. Huntsman has a 1 year low of $18.41 and a 1 year high of $27.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of -26.90 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50-day moving average is $21.04 and its 200-day moving average is $22.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.15 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Huntsman will post 0.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -144.93%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 20,201 shares of Huntsman 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Huntsman

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Matrix Trust Co acquired a new position in Huntsman during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Huntsman during the third quarter worth $62,000. nVerses Capital LLC raised its position in Huntsman by 1,250.0% in the 2nd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 2,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Huntsman during the 2nd quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Huntsman during the 3rd quarter worth $78,000. 84.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.