Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Trading 7.5% Higher - Still a Buy?

Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) was up 7.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $11.41 and last traded at $11.45. Approximately 1,053,275 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average daily volume of 2,831,892 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.65.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on HUN shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Huntsman from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Huntsman from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Huntsman from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Huntsman from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $22.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Huntsman from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.83.

Huntsman Stock Up 5.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.36 and a beta of 0.70. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $11.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.57.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 2.63% and a negative return on equity of 0.65%. The company 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 company earned ($0.06) earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Huntsman Corporation will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.89%. Huntsman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -109.89%.

Institutional Trading of Huntsman

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,395 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Huntsman by 74.9% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,232 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 956 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake 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 buying an additional 3,075 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Huntsman in the fourth quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of Huntsman in the first quarter valued at $53,000. 84.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.