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

Shares of Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) have been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation, one has assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $13.1667.

HUN has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on Huntsman from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Huntsman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $11.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Huntsman from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Huntsman in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Huntsman from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th.

Huntsman Stock Performance

NYSE HUN opened at $14.84 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.73 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $13.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.92. Huntsman has a 1-year low of $7.30 and a 1-year high of $15.90.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.20) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.39 billion. Huntsman had a negative return on equity of 4.60% and a negative net margin of 5.83%.Huntsman’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.11) EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Huntsman will post -0.25 EPS for the current year.

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.0875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Huntsman’s payout ratio is currently -18.23%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntsman

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Huntsman during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 2,182.0% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Huntsman during the third quarter worth about $58,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Huntsman by 121.7% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 6,751 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 3,706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Huntsman by 1,005.9% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 6,514 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 5,925 shares during the last quarter. 84.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.