Brokerages Set Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) Price Target at $25.75

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eight brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $25.75.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Huntsman from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Huntsman from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Huntsman from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Huntsman from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th.

Huntsman Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HUN opened at $19.43 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.61. The stock has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -28.19 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Huntsman has a 12 month low of $19.11 and a 12 month high of $27.01.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.55 billion. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 1.99% and a negative return on equity of 0.03%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.15 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Huntsman will post 0.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.15%. Huntsman’s payout ratio is -144.93%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 20,201 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total value of $432,705.42. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Huntsman

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Huntsman during the second quarter worth $2,180,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Huntsman by 383.0% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,417,641 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,138,000 after purchasing an additional 1,124,113 shares during the period. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Huntsman during the first quarter worth about $793,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Huntsman by 14.2% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 654,064 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,893,000 after purchasing an additional 81,109 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 97.2% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 413,104 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,403,000 after purchasing an additional 203,662 shares in the last quarter. 84.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Huntsman Company Profile

Huntsman Corporation manufactures and sells diversified organic chemical products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Polyurethanes, Performance Products, and Advanced Materials. The Polyurethanes segment offers polyurethane chemicals, including methyl diphenyl diisocyanate, polyether and polyester polyols, and thermoplastic polyurethane; and aniline, benzene, nitrobenzene and other co-products.