Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Shares Gap Down - Should You Sell?

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $17.44, but opened at $17.08. Huntsman shares last traded at $17.00, with a volume of 442,385 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HUN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Huntsman from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Huntsman from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $20.50.

Huntsman Stock Down 0.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.83 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.79 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $17.15 and a 200-day moving average of $19.51.

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Huntsman (NYSE:HUN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported ($0.25) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by ($0.18). Huntsman had a negative net margin of 3.13% and a negative return on equity of 0.39%. The business had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.45 billion. Research analysts predict that Huntsman Co. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Huntsman's payout ratio is currently -90.91%.

Institutional Trading of Huntsman

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 320.2% in the fourth quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 4,695,678 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $84,663,000 after buying an additional 3,578,100 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Huntsman by 188.3% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 3,269,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $58,940,000 after acquiring an additional 2,135,000 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Huntsman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,464,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its stake in Huntsman by 70.2% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 2,762,907 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,815,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139,549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Huntsman by 61.3% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,712,163 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,870,000 after purchasing an additional 650,951 shares during the period. 84.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.