Hanwha Total Petrochemical: W.R. Grace’s New Order

Specialty Chemicals: Updates for the Week Ending January 11 ## W.R. Grace gets a new order On January 8, W.R. Grace (GRA) announced that it got a new order for its UNIPOL PP Process Technology. W.R. Grace will grant the licenses to Hanwha Total Petrochemical for its new PP production plant in Daesan, South Korea. The new facility will have the capacity to produce 400 kilotons per year. The plant is expected to be completed by 2021. W.R. Grace didn’t specify anything about the financial aspects of the deal. Hanwha Total Petrochemical is a joint venture between Hanwha General Chemicals and Total S.A.—a French oil and gas company. The companies have 13 plants in Daesan producing polymers, oil products, and base chemicals. Laura Schwinn, the president of W.R. Grace’s Specialty Catalysts business segment, said, “Grace is pleased to be selected to provide our technology and catalysts to Hanwha Total Petrochemical and to help them offer the broad capability and most advanced resins that deliver significant value to their customers.” ## Stock update W.R. Grace stock gained 1.4% for the previous week and closed at $67.81. Since the beginning of 2019, the stock has gained 4.5%. In 2018, the stock fell 7.4%. Analysts expect W.R. Grace’s target price to be $82.83, which implies a return potential of 22.2% over the closing price on January 11. W.R. Grace’s 14-day relative strength index of 66 suggests that the stock is moving closer to the “overbought” position. Investors could hold W.R. Grace indirectly by investing in the iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF (IYM). IYM has invested 0.8% of its portfolio in W.R. Grace. The fund also has exposure to DowDuPont (DWDP), Linde (LIN), and LyondellBasell (LYB) with weights of 21.5%, 15%, and 4.6%, respectively, as of January 11. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: * Part 2 - IFF Collaborates with Aryballe on Digital Nose * Part 3 - PPG Industries Launched a New Polyurethane Primer * Part 4 - Axalta: ‘Sahara’ Is the 2019 Automotive Color of the Year