Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $24.14.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group reduced their price target on Huntsman from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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.

Huntsman Price Performance

Shares of Huntsman stock opened at $18.12 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.47. Huntsman has a 52-week low of $17.67 and a 52-week high of $27.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $20.40 and a 200-day moving average of $21.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.26 and a beta of 0.97.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.55 billion. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 1.99% and a negative return on equity of 0.03%. The company’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. Equities research analysts expect that Huntsman will post 0.09 EPS for the current year.

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Huntsman’s payout ratio is -144.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction of $432,705.42. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 5.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntsman

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Matrix Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Huntsman in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Huntsman in the third quarter worth about $62,000. nVerses Capital LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Huntsman during the second quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Huntsman in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $78,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.