Huntsman to Close German Maleic Anhydride Plant After Strategic Review

Huntsman Corporation HUN has announced the completion of a strategic review of its European Maleic Anhydride business, leading to the decision to permanently close its Maleic Anhydride facility in Moers, Germany. This move comes after a thorough evaluation of the business’s performance. The closure is expected to be completed by the end of the current quarter.The decision is driven by the underperformance in the European Maleic Anhydride operations, which recorded an adjusted EBITDA loss of approximately $10 million in 2024. Huntsman has decided to serve customers in the European region through its facilities in North America, which are located in Pensacola, FL, and Geismar, LA.As a result of the facility closure in Moers, Huntsman expects to incur a one-time, non-cash asset impairment charge of around $75 million in the second quarter of 2025. Shares of Huntsman have lost 54% in the past year compared with the Zacks Chemicals Diversified industry’s 27.8% decline.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchHUN, on its first-quarter call, noted that order patterns in many of its key markets, including construction, transportation and other industrial-related markets, are being hurt by low visibility and customer uncertainty regarding demand trends. The cautious customer order patterns are adversely impacting the seasonal volume improvement in its markets. While HUN is optimistic about an improvement in demand conditions, it remains focused on cost actions, which include workforce reductions as well as asset optimization in both Europe and North America.Huntsman Corporation Price and Consensus Huntsman Corporation price-consensus-chart | Huntsman Corporation QuoteHUN’s Rank & Key PicksHUN currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).Better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space include Carpenter Technology Corporation CRS, Alamos Gold Inc. AGI and Hawkins, Inc. HWKNCarpenter Technology currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). CRS beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 11.1%. The company's shares have soared 110% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Alamos Gold current-year earnings is pegged at $1.29 per share. AGI, carrying a Zacks Rank #1, surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the trailing four quarters while missing twice, with the average earnings surprise being 1.4%. The company's shares have rallied 58.1% in the past year.Hawkins, which currently carries a Zacks Rank #2, beat the consensus estimate in one of the trailing four quarters while missing thrice. In this time frame, it delivered an earnings surprise of roughly 8.2%, on average. The company's shares have rallied 43.6% in the past year.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS): Free Stock Analysis Report Huntsman Corporation (HUN): Free Stock Analysis Report Alamos Gold Inc. (AGI): Free Stock Analysis Report Hawkins, Inc. (HWKN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks