Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $13.6667.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Huntsman in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Huntsman from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on Huntsman from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Huntsman from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Huntsman from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th.

Huntsman Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Huntsman stock opened at $11.83 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.16 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s 50 day moving average is $13.15 and its 200 day moving average is $12.70. Huntsman has a twelve month low of $7.30 and a twelve month high of $16.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.11) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Huntsman will post -0.21 EPS for the current year.

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.0875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -18.23%.

Institutional Trading of Huntsman

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lombard Odier Asset Management USA Corp raised its position in Huntsman by 6.2% in the first quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management USA Corp now owns 16,868 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 982 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 13,863 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 1,099 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 44,574 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Huntsman by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 43,022 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Huntsman by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,335 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $163,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332 shares during the period. 84.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.