Word on the Street: What Analysts Recommend for Eastman Chemical

As of December 22, 2016, 18 brokerage firms are actively tracking Eastman Chemical (EMN) stock. About 61% of these analysts have recommended a “buy” for the stock, while 35% of the analysts have recommended a “hold,” and the remaining 4% have recommended a “sell” for the stock.

The analyst consensus indicates a 12-month target price of ~$81.40 for Eastman Chemical, implying a return potential of 7.1% based on its closing price of $75.93 on December 22, 2016. Since September, analysts have increased the target price for EMN from $76 in September to its current target price of $81.40. The increase in target price was driven by better-than-expected 3Q16 earnings, initiation to reduce interest expenses, and an increase in dividend per share.

• As of December 22, 2016, 20 brokerage firms are actively tracking Dow Chemical (DOW)). About 75.0% of them have recommended a “buy” for the stock, whereas 20% of the analysts have recommended a “hold,” and the remaining 5.0% have recommended a “sell.” The analysts’ consensus indicate a 12-month target price of $62.40 implying a return potential of ~6.1% from its closing price of $58.75 as of December 22, 2016.
• DuPont (DD) is tracked actively by 18 brokerage firms. About 50% of them have recommended a “buy” for the stock, whereas 44% have recommended a “hold,” and the remaining 6% have recommended a “sell.” The analysts’ consensus indicates a 12-month target price of $77.70, implying a return potential of ~3.5% from its closing price of $75.07 as of December 22, 2016
• Westlake Chemical (WLK) is tracked actively by 13 brokerage firms. About 61% of them have recommended a “buy” for the stock, whereas 31% have recommended a “hold,” and the remaining 8% have recommended a “sell.” The analysts’ consensus indicate a 12-month target price of $60.90 implying a return potential of ~7.3% from its closing price of $56.80 as of December 22, 2016

Investors can access Eastman Chemical indirectly by investing in the Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Materials ETF (RTM). The fund has invested ~4.10% of its portfolio in EMN as of December 22, 2016.

In the next part, we’ll look into Eastman chemical’s latest valuations versus peers’.