Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) has received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the fourteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $11.00.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HUN. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup increased their price target on Huntsman from $10.50 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Huntsman from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $8.00 target price (down previously from $9.00) on shares of Huntsman in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Huntsman from $8.50 to $9.50 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th.

Huntsman Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of HUN stock opened at $11.17 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $10.62 and a 200-day moving average of $9.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $1.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.88 and a beta of 0.68. Huntsman has a 1-year low of $7.30 and a 1-year high of $18.53.

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

Huntsman Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.0875 per share. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Huntsman’s payout ratio is presently -18.42%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntsman

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HUN. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Huntsman in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. bought a new stake in Huntsman in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Huntsman by 104.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,935 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 2,015 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position 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 buying an additional 2,431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Huntsman by 2,182.0% in the 3rd quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 4,313 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 4,124 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.