Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Upgraded at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Zacks reports.

HUN has been the subject of several other reports. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Huntsman from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Huntsman from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Huntsman from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Huntsman from $16.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.29.

Huntsman Stock Up 0.9%

Huntsman stock opened at $8.23 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.92 and a beta of 0.80. Huntsman has a 52-week low of $7.30 and a 52-week high of $16.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $9.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.74.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.0875 dividend. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Huntsman’s payout ratio is presently -33.65%.

Insider Transactions at Huntsman

In other Huntsman news, CEO Peter R. Huntsman purchased 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.81 per share, with a total value of $981,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 7,256,341 shares in the company, valued at $71,184,705.21. This represents a 1.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Huntsman

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lombard Odier Asset Management USA Corp lifted its position in shares of Huntsman by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management USA Corp now owns 16,868 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 982 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Huntsman by 15.0% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 11,508 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $153,000 after acquiring an additional 1,498 shares in the last quarter. Essential Partners LLC boosted its stake in Huntsman by 40.3% during the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 5,766 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 1,655 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Huntsman by 166.7% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,672 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Huntsman by 30.0% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,240 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 1,672 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.81% of the company’s stock.

About Huntsman

Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) is a global manufacturer of differentiated and commodity chemical products. Founded in 1970, the company serves customers in industries including construction, automotive, aerospace, energy, electronics, coatings, adhesives, and consumer products.

Huntsman’s product portfolio includes polyurethane chemicals such as methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, or MDI, and polyols; performance chemicals including amines and maleic anhydride; and advanced materials such as epoxy-based formulations, adhesives, and composite materials.