First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. Sells 117,580 Shares of Huntsman Corporation $HUN

First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. decreased its position in Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN) by 10.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,010,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 117,580 shares during the quarter. Huntsman makes up 2.5% of First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.’s holdings in Huntsman were worth $10,110,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Huntsman in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in shares of Huntsman in the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 121.7% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 6,751 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 3,706 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 267.9% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 8,094 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 5,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Huntsman by 124.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,840 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 4,905 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.81% of the company’s stock.

Huntsman Stock Performance

Huntsman stock opened at $15.07 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Huntsman Corporation has a 1 year low of $7.30 and a 1 year high of $15.90. The company has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a PE ratio of -7.85 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50-day moving average is $14.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.41.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last released its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.11) EPS. The company’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Huntsman Corporation will post -0.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntsman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.0875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Huntsman’s dividend payout ratio is presently -18.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Huntsman from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Huntsman from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Huntsman from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Huntsman from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Huntsman from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Huntsman currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $13.17.

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.