Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) Given Average Recommendation of "Reduce" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Huntsman an average recommendation of "Reduce" across 14 firms (4 sell, 8 hold, 1 buy, 1 strong buy) with a mean 12‑month price target of about $12.41.
• Huntsman recently missed quarterly EPS (reported -$0.37 vs. consensus -$0.29), posted revenue of $1.36B (down 6.7% YoY), and reported negative net margin (-5.0%) and ROE (-3.97%); analysts expect ~$0.32 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Shares trade near $13.23 (50‑day SMA $12.45, 200‑day SMA $10.63) with a market cap of ~$2.3B, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.0875 (annualized yield ~2.6%).

Shares of Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Reduce" from the fourteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $12.4091.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on HUN. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Huntsman in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Huntsman in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Huntsman from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Huntsman from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th.

Institutional Trading of Huntsman

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUN. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in Huntsman during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Huntsman during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 104.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,935 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,015 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 2,182.0% during the third quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 4,313 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 4,124 shares during the period. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 986.0% during the third quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 6,505 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 5,906 shares during the period. 84.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Huntsman Trading Up 5.5%

Huntsman stock opened at $13.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of -8.07 and a beta of 0.59. Huntsman has a 12-month low of $7.30 and a 12-month high of $14.38.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported ($0.37) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.29) by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.34 billion. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 5.00% and a negative return on equity of 3.97%. The company's revenue was down 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.25) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Huntsman will post 0.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.0875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.35 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Huntsman's dividend payout ratio is currently -21.34%.

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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