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

Shares of Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $24.71.

HUN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Huntsman from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Huntsman from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

Huntsman Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE HUN opened at $18.30 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of -26.52 and a beta of 0.97. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $20.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.01. 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 has a 12 month low of $18.24 and a 12 month high of $27.01.

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

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.46%. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -144.93%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 20,201 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntsman

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUN. Seven Eight Capital LP lifted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 3.3% in the second quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP now owns 24,568 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $559,000 after purchasing an additional 795 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Huntsman by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 41,771 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $951,000 after buying an additional 863 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co bought a new position in Huntsman during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. 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. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Huntsman by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 9,261 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 1,163 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.81% of the company’s stock.

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.