Huntsman Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:HUN)

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders purchased 26,420 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 1,257% compared to the average volume of 1,947 put options.

Huntsman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HUN opened at $17.70 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of -16.09 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s fifty day moving average is $17.13 and its 200 day moving average is $19.65. Huntsman has a 52 week low of $15.46 and a 52 week high of $26.48.

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). The company had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.45 billion. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 3.13% and a negative return on equity of 0.39%. Research analysts anticipate that Huntsman will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Huntsman’s payout ratio is -90.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Huntsman

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Huntsman during the third quarter valued at about $257,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in Huntsman by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 73,454 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,778,000 after purchasing an additional 4,735 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Huntsman by 49.9% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 31,783 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $769,000 after buying an additional 10,582 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 267.6% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 117,990 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,855,000 after buying an additional 85,889 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Huntsman during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,045,000. 84.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HUN. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Huntsman from $24.00 to $20.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Alembic Global Advisors downgraded shares of Huntsman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Huntsman from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Huntsman currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.50.

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.