Huntsman Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:HUN)

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors bought 26,420 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 1,257% compared to the typical volume of 1,947 put options.

Huntsman Price Performance

Shares of HUN traded up $0.35 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $17.63. 942,911 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,094,882. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $17.12 and a 200-day moving average of $19.68. Huntsman has a one year low of $15.46 and a one year high of $26.48. The firm has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.01 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported ($0.25) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by ($0.18). Huntsman had a negative net margin of 3.13% and a negative return on equity of 0.39%. The company had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.45 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Huntsman will post 0.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio is presently -90.91%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Huntsman in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Huntsman by 74.9% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,232 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 956 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of Huntsman in the third quarter worth approximately $62,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Huntsman in the fourth quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Huntsman in the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,000. 84.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HUN shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $24.00 to $20.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Alembic Global Advisors downgraded shares of Huntsman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Huntsman from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup cut their price target 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Huntsman presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.50.

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.