Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) Short Interest Update

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,000,000 shares, a growth of 8.5% from the July 15th total of 4,610,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,900,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days. Currently, 3.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Huntsman Stock Performance

HUN traded up $0.06 during trading on Monday, hitting $20.96. The stock had a trading volume of 924,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,920,855. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $3.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -40.29 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $22.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.06. Huntsman has a one year low of $19.91 and a one year high of $28.36.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 1.49% and a positive return on equity of 0.67%. The business had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.22 earnings per share. Huntsman’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Huntsman will post 0.33 EPS for the current year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio is currently -192.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HUN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Huntsman from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Huntsman from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Huntsman from $26.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Huntsman from $30.00 to $21.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Huntsman from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Huntsman currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $25.56.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntsman

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Huntsman by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,258,188 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,618,000 after purchasing an additional 84,462 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Huntsman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,761,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Huntsman by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 665,652 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,327,000 after acquiring an additional 130,614 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank increased its stake in Huntsman by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 234,824 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,901,000 after acquiring an additional 32,535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co acquired a new position in Huntsman during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,180,000. 84.81% of the stock is 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.