Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) Short Interest Update

Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) saw a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 20,182,177 shares, an increase of 35.0% from the December 31st total of 14,946,087 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,668,926 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.3 days. Currently, 12.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 12.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 4,668,926 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.3 days.

Huntsman Stock Performance

NYSE:HUN traded up $1.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $12.56. 5,585,624 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,990,208. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $10.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.59 and a beta of 0.70. Huntsman has a 52-week low of $7.30 and a 52-week high of $18.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last released its earnings results 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. Huntsman had a negative return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 5.69%.The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Huntsman will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntsman Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.0875 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio is currently -18.42%.

Institutional Trading of Huntsman

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HUN. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 73.2% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 38,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $382,000 after acquiring an additional 16,128 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Huntsman by 37.8% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 71,617 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $730,000 after buying an additional 19,650 shares during the period. Garner Asset Management Corp grew its stake in Huntsman by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 17,168 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $172,000 after acquiring an additional 3,757 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Huntsman by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 44,574 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Huntsman during the fourth quarter worth $120,000. 84.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on HUN. UBS Group upped their target price on Huntsman from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $8.00 price objective (down previously from $9.00) on shares of Huntsman in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Alembic Global Advisors set a $11.00 target price on Huntsman in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Huntsman in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $10.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $11.00.

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.