Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

Key Points

• UBS raised its Huntsman price target from $9 to $10 but maintained a Neutral rating; the new target implies just 0.84% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly cautious: Huntsman has a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $11.69, with nine analysts rating it Hold and four rating it Sell.
• In its latest quarter, Huntsman reported EPS of $0.04, below the $0.07 consensus, while revenue of $1.72 billion exceeded estimates and rose 17.6% year over year.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities researchers at UBS Group from $9.00 to $10.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the basic materials company's stock. UBS Group's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 0.84% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Huntsman in a report on Friday, September 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Huntsman in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $12.00 price objective on Huntsman in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Huntsman from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $12.00 target price on Huntsman in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $11.69.

Huntsman Stock Up 3.8%

Shares of HUN traded up $0.37 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $9.92. 3,508,307 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,056,836. The stock has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.92 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $9.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Huntsman has a twelve month low of $7.30 and a twelve month high of $16.08.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 2.81% and a negative return on equity of 3.11%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.03) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Huntsman will post -0.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Huntsman

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Huntsman in the 2nd quarter valued at $193,750,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,950,777 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $92,509,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003,187 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Huntsman during the 2nd quarter valued at about $54,817,000. Private Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Huntsman during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,935,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Huntsman in the second quarter valued at about $23,596,000. 84.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Huntsman News

Here are the key news stories impacting Huntsman this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $11 from $10 and kept an equal-weight rating. The higher target suggests some potential upside, though the rating is not an outright bullish call. Barclays rating information
• Positive Sentiment: RBC lifted its target to $10 from $9 while maintaining Sector Perform, and UBS also raised its target to $10 from $9 while keeping a Neutral rating. The target increases are supportive, but the unchanged ratings signal limited conviction in near-term outperformance. RBC price target news UBS price target news
• Neutral Sentiment: Huntsman’s earnings call was described as cautiously optimistic, but with continuing headwinds. That suggests potential improvement, though the available report does not detail enough to establish a clear near-term catalyst. Earnings call highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS was $0.04, below the $0.07 consensus estimate. The earnings miss tempers the positive signal from stronger sales. Third-quarter earnings report

About Huntsman

Huntsman Corporation NYSE: HUN is a global manufacturer of differentiated and commodity chemical products. Founded in 1970, the company develops and produces materials used by manufacturers in a broad range of industries, including construction, automotive, aerospace, electronics, energy, coatings, adhesives and consumer products.

Huntsman's principal businesses include polyurethane products, performance products and advanced materials. Its portfolio includes polyurethane systems and intermediates, epoxy and other specialty resins, curing agents, amines, maleic anhydride and other chemicals used in insulation, composites, coatings, adhesives and industrial applications.

The company serves customers internationally through manufacturing facilities, research and development operations, and sales offices in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other regions.

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