Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) Short Interest Down 38.2% in June

Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 17,893,029 shares, a decline of 38.2% from the June 15th total of 28,966,735 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 13,130,981 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days. Approximately 10.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Huntsman

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HUN. Versant Capital Management Inc increased 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670 shares during the period. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new position in Huntsman during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Essential Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Huntsman by 40.3% during the 1st quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 5,766 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 1,655 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in shares of Huntsman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Huntsman by 1,005.9% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 6,514 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 5,925 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.81% of the company’s stock.

Huntsman Stock Performance

NYSE:HUN opened at $11.83 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $13.15 and its 200-day moving average is $12.70. Huntsman has a 1-year low of $7.30 and a 1-year high of $16.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $2.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.16 and a beta of 0.69.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.23) by $0.03. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 5.83% and a negative return on equity of 4.60%. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.11) EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Huntsman will post -0.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.0875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $0.35 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -18.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HUN shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Huntsman from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Huntsman from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Huntsman from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Huntsman from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Huntsman from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Huntsman has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.67.

About Huntsman

Huntsman Corporation is a global manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals with headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas. Founded in 1970 by entrepreneur Jon Huntsman Sr., the company has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to establish a broad portfolio of products serving diverse end markets. Huntsman maintains a presence in more than 30 countries, operating manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.

The company organizes its operations into several core business segments, including Polyurethanes, Performance Products, Advanced Materials, and Textile Effects.