Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts
by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets DailyHuntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN – Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation, one has given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.4091.
A number of brokerages have weighed in on HUN. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Huntsman from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Huntsman from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Huntsman from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Huntsman from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Huntsman in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Huntsman
Huntsman Trading Down 10.0%
HUN opened at $10.36 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Huntsman has a 52 week low of $7.30 and a 52 week high of $16.76. The stock has a market cap of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of -6.31 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50 day moving average of $12.26 and a 200-day moving average of $10.49.
Huntsman (NYSE:HUN – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported ($0.37) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.29) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.34 billion. Huntsman had a negative return on equity of 3.97% and a negative net margin of 5.00%.Huntsman’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.25) EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Huntsman will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Huntsman Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.0875 per share. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -21.34%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Huntsman
A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Huntsman by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 13,863 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 1,099 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Huntsman by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 44,574 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225 shares during the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Huntsman by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 43,022 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Huntsman by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,335 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $163,000 after buying an additional 1,332 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Huntsman by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 477,566 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,776,000 after buying an additional 1,372 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.81% of the company’s stock.
About Huntsman
Huntsman Corporation is a global manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals with headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas. Founded in 1970 by entrepreneur Jon Huntsman Sr., the company has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to establish a broad portfolio of products serving diverse end markets. Huntsman maintains a presence in more than 30 countries, operating manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.
The company organizes its operations into several core business segments, including Polyurethanes, Performance Products, Advanced Materials, and Textile Effects.