BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $11.83 Million Position in Huntsman Corporation $HUN

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets sharply increased its Huntsman stake by 236.2% in Q4, ending with 1,182,590 shares valued at about $11.83 million.
• Huntsman reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, posting a smaller loss per share than analysts anticipated and slightly beating revenue estimates, though profitability remained negative.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.0875 per share, while analyst sentiment remains cautious with a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $13.17.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN - Free Report) by 236.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,182,590 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 830,828 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.68% of Huntsman worth $11,826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 44,574 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,335 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $163,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Huntsman by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 599,296 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $9,463,000 after purchasing an additional 1,581 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank lifted its holdings in Huntsman by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 162,513 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,459,000 after purchasing an additional 1,769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in Huntsman by 2.7% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 76,769 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 2,008 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.81% of the company's stock.

Huntsman Stock Performance

Shares of HUN stock opened at $14.17 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 1.27. Huntsman Corporation has a 52 week low of $7.30 and a 52 week high of $15.90. The company's 50 day moving average price is $13.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.24. The company has a market capitalization of $2.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.38 and a beta of 0.64.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.39 billion. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 5.83% and a negative return on equity of 4.60%. The firm's revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.11) earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Huntsman Corporation will post -0.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.0875 dividend. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Huntsman's payout ratio is -18.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HUN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Huntsman from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Huntsman in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup increased their target price on Huntsman from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Huntsman from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Huntsman from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $11.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $13.17.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.