Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,260,000 shares, a decline of 10.5% from the January 15th total of 5,880,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,430,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 3.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HUN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho decreased their target price on Huntsman from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Huntsman from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Huntsman from $24.00 to $20.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors lowered shares of Huntsman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.63.

Institutional Trading of Huntsman

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HUN. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 16.0% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 28,925 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $700,000 after purchasing an additional 3,997 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Huntsman in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $207,000. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 271,287 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,565,000 after acquiring an additional 3,291 shares in the last quarter. Jade Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Huntsman by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jade Capital Advisors LLC now owns 60,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,430 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Shayne & Jacobs LLC grew its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 1.2% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.81% of the company’s stock.

Huntsman Price Performance

HUN stock traded up $0.79 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $17.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,685,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,881,759. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.76 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Huntsman has a 12 month low of $15.67 and a 12 month high of $27.01. The company has a 50 day moving average of $17.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.19.

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.63%. Huntsman’s payout ratio is -144.93%.

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.