Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Huntsman from “sell” to “hold”, adding to a mixed but slightly less bearish analyst backdrop for the stock.
• Other firms also adjusted views and targets: JPMorgan downgraded Huntsman to neutral while lifting its target to $14, and the overall consensus remains “Reduce” with an average price target of $13.00.
• Huntsman shares were up 1.6% and opened at $14.98; the company also reported quarterly EPS and revenue that both beat analyst estimates, though earnings remained negative.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Huntsman from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $11.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Huntsman from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Huntsman from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Huntsman from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Huntsman from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $13.00.

Huntsman Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE HUN opened at $14.98 on Friday. Huntsman has a 1 year low of $7.30 and a 1 year high of $15.90. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $12.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.33. The firm 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 quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.27.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.11) earnings per share. Huntsman's revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Huntsman will post -0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntsman

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HUN. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 20.8% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 56,481 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $892,000 after acquiring an additional 9,720 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 97.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,137,285 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $33,748,000 after acquiring an additional 1,052,127 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 0.3% during the 1st 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 valued at $9,463,000 after acquiring an additional 1,581 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new position in shares of Huntsman during the 1st quarter valued at $680,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 34.5% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 14,250 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 3,655 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.81% of the company's stock.

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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