Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 1,523,590 Shares of Huntsman Corporation $HUN

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its Huntsman stake by 9.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 1,523,590 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 17,880,912 shares worth about $178.8 million.
• Huntsman reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of -$0.20 versus the -$0.23 estimate and revenue of $1.42 billion versus $1.39 billion expected, while revenue rose 0.7% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.0875 per share, payable June 30, which implies an annualized yield of about 2.3% at recent prices.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN - Free Report) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,880,912 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,523,590 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.29% of Huntsman worth $178,809,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Huntsman by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,335 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 1,332 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Huntsman by 0.3% during the first 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 acquiring an additional 1,581 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank boosted its stake in Huntsman by 1.1% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 162,513 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,459,000 after acquiring an additional 1,769 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in Huntsman by 2.7% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 76,769 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $800,000 after acquiring an additional 2,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new position in Huntsman during the third quarter worth $27,000. 84.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Huntsman Stock Performance

Shares of HUN stock opened at $14.98 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $12.89 and a 200-day moving average of $11.33. The company has a market cap of $2.63 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.80 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.75. Huntsman Corporation has a one year low of $7.30 and a one year high of $15.90.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.20) EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.11) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Huntsman Corporation will post -0.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $0.35 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Huntsman's dividend payout ratio is currently -18.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on HUN shares. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Huntsman from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Huntsman from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Huntsman from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Huntsman from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Huntsman from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Huntsman has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $13.00.

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.

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