Huntsman Corporation’s (HUN – Free Report) fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted loss per share was 25 cents, compared with a loss of 21 cents in the year-ago quarter. It was wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss per share of 12 cents.
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Revenues were $1,452 million, up around 3.5% year over year. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,447 million.
HUN’s Segment Highlights
Polyurethanes: Revenues from the segment rose 8% year over year to $970 million. The figure beat our estimate of $886.1 million. The revenue increase was primarily due to increased sales volumes. Sales volumes increased predominantly owing to increased demand and market share gains in specific markets. Segment-adjusted EBITDA rose on higher volumes, better margins, and lower fixed and variable costs, which were partly offset by reduced equity earnings from its minority-owned joint venture in China.
Performance Products: Revenues moved down 8% to $239 million, which was below our estimate of $253.2 million. The decrease was primarily caused by lower sales volumes, which were partly offset by higher average selling prices. Sales volumes fell primarily owing to extended Maleic Anhydride outages during the quarter and slow construction activity. The drop in segment-adjusted EBITDA was mainly caused by lower sales volume, which was slightly offset by an improved mix and lower fixed costs.
Advanced Materials: Revenues from the unit increased 1% to $254 million but fell short of our estimate of $264.2 million. Sales rose mostly due to higher sales volumes, which were slightly masked by lower average selling prices which fell essentially due to an unfavorable sales mix. Sales volumes rose in the infrastructure and general industry segments. The segment-adjusted EBITDA was flat due to higher sales volumes offset by higher fixed costs.
HUN’s Financials
Free cash flow from continuing operations was $108 million compared with $83 million in the prior-year quarter. The company had approximately $1.7 billion combined cash and unused borrowing capacity as of Dec. 31, 2024.
The company spent $51 million on capital expenditures from continuing operations compared with $83 million in the prior-year quarter.
Net cash generated by operating activities from continuing operations was $159 million in the quarter.
HUN’s 2025 Outlook
In 2025, Huntsman expects capital expenditures to be between $180 million and $190 million. The adjusted effective tax rate is expected to be approximately 35%.
HUN’s Stock Price Performance
Shares of Huntsman have lost 26.9% in the past year compared with the industry’s 1.2% decline.
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HUN’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks
HUN currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Gold Fields Limited (GFI – Free Report) , ICL Group Ltd. (ICL – Free Report) and Fortuna Mining Corp. (FSM – Free Report) . While GFI sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present, ICL and FSM carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
GFI is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results on Feb. 27. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Gold Fields’ fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at 46 cents per share. Its shares have gained 40.1% in the past year.
ICL is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results on Feb. 26. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ICL Group’s fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at 6 cents per share. ICL beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 18.1%. Its shares have soared 23.6% in the past year.
FSM is slated to report fourth-quarter results on March 5. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Fortuna’s fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at 16 cents per share. FSM surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the trailing four quarters while missing it in the rest, with an average surprise of 53.6%. The stock has gained 68.9% in the past year.
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