Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Given New $20.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) had its target price decreased by Morgan Stanley from $24.00 to $20.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on HUN. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Huntsman from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. 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 lowered 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $23.33.

Huntsman Stock Performance

HUN stock opened at $16.65 on Monday. Huntsman has a twelve month low of $15.95 and a twelve month high of $27.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $2.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -24.13 and a beta of 0.97. The business’s fifty day moving average is $18.98 and its 200-day moving average is $21.24.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last released its 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. The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.55 billion. Huntsman had a negative return on equity of 0.03% and a negative net margin of 1.99%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.15 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Huntsman will post 0.09 EPS for the current year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.01%. Huntsman’s payout ratio is presently -144.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Huntsman

In related news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 20,201 shares of the firm’s 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntsman

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 91,304 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,079,000 after buying an additional 4,521 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in Huntsman by 12.3% in the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 207,754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,731,000 after acquiring an additional 22,749 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 78.5% in the 2nd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 58,526 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,333,000 after acquiring an additional 25,741 shares during the period. Seven Eight Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Huntsman by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP now owns 24,568 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 795 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 14.2% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 654,064 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,893,000 after purchasing an additional 81,109 shares during the period. 84.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.