Acadian Asset Management LLC Raises Position in Huntsman Corporation $HUN

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC has increased its stake in Huntsman Corporation by 87.6%, now owning approximately $2.78 million worth of shares.
• Huntsman has received mixed ratings from analysts, with several price target adjustments bringing a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.05.
• The company plans to issue a quarterly dividend of $0.25, representing a 9.6% yield, with the payout ratio currently at -51.28%.

Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN - Free Report) by 87.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 176,402 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 82,382 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned about 0.10% of Huntsman worth $2,783,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUN. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 30.1% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 155,213 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,798,000 after purchasing an additional 35,949 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Huntsman during the 4th quarter worth about $1,127,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Huntsman by 112.6% during the 4th quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 40,482 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $730,000 after acquiring an additional 21,445 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in Huntsman by 28.6% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,074,347 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $19,370,000 after purchasing an additional 239,193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its holdings in Huntsman by 30.6% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 741,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $13,373,000 after purchasing an additional 173,800 shares during the last quarter. 84.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Huntsman Stock Down 4.8%

NYSE HUN traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $9.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,431,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,003,035. The company has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of -5.03 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $10.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.18. Huntsman Corporation has a 52 week low of $8.91 and a 52 week high of $25.12.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.15) by ($0.05). Huntsman had a negative return on equity of 2.48% and a negative net margin of 5.75%.The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Huntsman Corporation will post 0.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Huntsman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -51.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on HUN. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Huntsman from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Citigroup cut their target price on Huntsman from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Huntsman from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Huntsman from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Mizuho reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and issued a $9.00 price objective (down from $11.00) on shares of Huntsman in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Huntsman has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.05.

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.