Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Downgraded to Neutral Rating by Alembic Global Advisors

Alembic Global Advisors cut shares of Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on HUN. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $24.00 to $20.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $23.33.

Huntsman Price Performance

Shares of Huntsman stock opened at $17.35 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $18.73 and a 200 day moving average of $21.13. Huntsman has a 1 year low of $15.95 and a 1 year high of $27.01.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.55 billion. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 1.99% and a negative return on equity of 0.03%. Huntsman’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.15 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Huntsman will post 0.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. Huntsman’s payout ratio is -144.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 20,201 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total value of $432,705.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntsman

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUN. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Huntsman by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 38,070 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $686,000 after buying an additional 674 shares in the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP raised its holdings in Huntsman by 3.3% during the second quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP now owns 24,568 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $559,000 after acquiring an additional 795 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Huntsman by 2.1% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 41,771 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $951,000 after acquiring an additional 863 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Huntsman in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Shayne & Jacobs LLC raised its stake in Huntsman by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Shayne & Jacobs LLC now owns 94,316 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,282,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.81% of the company’s stock.

About Huntsman

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.