Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $15.59 and last traded at $15.62, with a volume of 66459 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $16.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Huntsman from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Huntsman from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Alembic Global Advisors lowered shares of Huntsman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Huntsman from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Huntsman currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.63.

Huntsman Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.36. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $17.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of -14.16 and a beta of 0.95.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported ($0.25) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by ($0.18). Huntsman had a negative return on equity of 0.39% and a negative net margin of 3.13%. The business had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.45 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Huntsman Co. will post 0.32 EPS for the current year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio is presently -90.91%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its position in Huntsman by 320.2% in the fourth quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 4,695,678 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $84,663,000 after purchasing an additional 3,578,100 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. raised its position in Huntsman by 188.3% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 3,269,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $58,940,000 after purchasing an additional 2,135,000 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Huntsman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,464,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its position in Huntsman by 70.2% in the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 2,762,907 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $49,815,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139,549 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Huntsman by 61.3% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,712,163 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,870,000 after acquiring an additional 650,951 shares during the period. 84.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.