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

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Traders bought 30,101 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 1,873% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,526 put options.

Huntsman Stock Performance

Shares of Huntsman stock opened at $17.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.47. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $19.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.49. The company has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.64 and a beta of 0.97. Huntsman has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $27.01.

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

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. Huntsman’s payout ratio is presently -144.93%.

Insider Activity at Huntsman

In related news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 20,201 shares of Huntsman stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total value of $432,705.42. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 5.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Matrix Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Huntsman in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Huntsman in the third quarter valued at about $62,000. nVerses Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Huntsman by 1,250.0% during the second quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 2,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Huntsman in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $78,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 64.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,664 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 1,441 shares during the last quarter. 84.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Huntsman from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Huntsman from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Huntsman from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Huntsman presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $24.14.

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.