Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $10.2273.

HUN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Huntsman from $8.50 to $9.50 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Huntsman in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Huntsman from $8.50 to $10.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Huntsman in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $20.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 10th.

Huntsman Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of HUN opened at $10.08 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of -5.31 and a beta of 0.68. Huntsman has a 52-week low of $7.30 and a 52-week high of $18.53.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.45 billion. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 5.69% and a negative return on equity of 3.26%. Huntsman’s revenue was down 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.10 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Huntsman will post 0.32 EPS for the current year.

Huntsman Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.0875 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.35 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio is -18.42%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in Huntsman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Huntsman in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 104.9% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,935 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 2,015 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Huntsman by 197.6% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 2,431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its position in shares of Huntsman by 2,182.0% during the 3rd quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 4,313 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 4,124 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.