Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Given New $14.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group has reduced its price target for Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) from $15.00 to $14.00, indicating a potential upside of 24.98% from the stock's previous close.
• Several research firms have downgraded Huntsman's stock, with nine analysts now holding a "Hold" rating and one analyst issuing a "Sell" rating, reflecting concerns over the company's performance.
• The company reported a net loss per share of ($0.20) in its latest quarterly earnings, missing estimates and demonstrating a 7.4% decline in year-over-year revenue.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Free Report) had its target price decreased by Jefferies Financial Group from $15.00 to $14.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the basic materials company's stock.

HUN has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Huntsman from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. 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 Huntsman from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Mizuho cut their target price on Huntsman from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Huntsman from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Huntsman has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.05.

Huntsman Stock Performance

HUN traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,404,684 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,922,542. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Huntsman has a twelve month low of $8.91 and a twelve month high of $25.12. The stock has a market cap of $1.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.42 and a beta of 0.65.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported ($0.20) 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 firm had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. Huntsman's revenue was down 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Huntsman will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Huntsman's payout ratio is presently -51.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUN. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Huntsman by 177.9% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,395 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 197.6% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,661 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 2,431 shares in the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Huntsman in the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 1,717.9% in the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 3,075 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Huntsman in the first quarter valued at about $53,000. 84.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.