Lazard Asset Management LLC Takes $1.13 Million Position in Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN)

Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 62,560 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,127,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Huntsman by 74.9% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,232 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 956 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 31,694 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $571,000 after buying an additional 1,212 shares during the period. Mariner LLC raised its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 13,550 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 1,233 shares during the period. Bridgefront Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Bridgefront Capital LLC now owns 11,120 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $200,000 after buying an additional 1,594 shares during the period. Finally, EMC Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 21.5% in the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 10,288 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $185,000 after buying an additional 1,821 shares during the period. 84.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HUN shares. StockNews.com upgraded Huntsman from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Huntsman from $20.00 to $13.50 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Huntsman from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Bank of America downgraded Huntsman from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $22.00 to $15.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Huntsman from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $15.00.

Huntsman Trading Down 2.0%

HUN opened at $12.41 on Tuesday. Huntsman Co. has a 52 week low of $11.15 and a 52 week high of $25.78. The stock's fifty day moving average is $13.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.68. The company has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.28 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.11). Huntsman had a negative return on equity of 0.39% and a negative net margin of 3.13%. The business had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.51 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.06) EPS. The business's revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Huntsman Co. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.06%. Huntsman's dividend payout ratio is presently -109.89%.

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.

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