Short Interest in Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN) Expands By 7.6%

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,700,000 shares, a growth of 7.6% from the November 30th total of 4,370,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,020,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Currently, 2.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Huntsman Trading Up 2.6 %

NYSE HUN traded up $0.46 on Wednesday, reaching $18.03. The stock had a trading volume of 2,370,689 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,945,635. Huntsman has a 12-month low of $17.41 and a 12-month high of $27.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $19.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.13 and a beta of 0.97. 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 (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.10. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 1.99% and a negative return on equity of 0.03%. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.15 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Huntsman will post 0.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.55%. Huntsman's dividend payout ratio is currently -144.93%.

Insider Activity

In other Huntsman news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 20,201 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total value of $432,705.42. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Huntsman

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Matrix Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Huntsman during the third quarter worth $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Huntsman during the 3rd quarter worth about $62,000. nVerses Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 1,250.0% in the 2nd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 2,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Huntsman during the 3rd quarter worth about $78,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in Huntsman by 64.8% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,664 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,441 shares during the last quarter. 84.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HUN shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective 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. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Huntsman from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Huntsman from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Huntsman from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Huntsman has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $24.14.

About Huntsman

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.