Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Shares Down 4.6% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Huntsman shares fell 4.6% in Thursday trading, dropping to around $10.78 after briefly touching $10.73, on volume far below normal.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” with an average price target of $13.75, though recent reports included both target cuts and hikes.
• Huntsman recently beat earnings and revenue estimates for the quarter, but still posted a loss and weak profitability metrics; it also paid a 3.3% annualized dividend yield.

Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 4.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $10.73 and last traded at $10.7760. Approximately 577,232 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 6,357,400 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.30.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HUN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Huntsman from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Huntsman from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of Huntsman in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Huntsman from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $13.75.

Huntsman Stock Performance

The company's 50-day moving average is $13.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.64. The company has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.55 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by $0.03. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 5.83% and a negative return on equity of 4.60%. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.11) earnings per share. Huntsman's revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Huntsman Corporation will post -0.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.0875 per share. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Huntsman's payout ratio is currently -18.23%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUN. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new stake in Huntsman during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Huntsman by 166.7% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,672 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of Huntsman during the 3rd quarter valued at about $58,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Huntsman by 121.7% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 6,751 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 3,706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Huntsman by 1,005.9% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 6,514 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 5,925 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.81% of the company's stock.

Huntsman Company Profile

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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