Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) Reaches New 52-Week High at $25.14

Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $25.14 and last traded at $24.99, with a volume of 168801 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.89.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ESI shares. Mizuho cut their target price on Element Solutions from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. TheStreet raised Element Solutions from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Element Solutions in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Element Solutions from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Element Solutions from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $25.60.

Element Solutions Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a market cap of $6.04 billion, a PE ratio of 50.80, a P/E/G ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 1.31. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.46. The company has a quick ratio of 2.43, a current ratio of 3.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.32. The business had revenue of $573.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $590.43 million. Element Solutions had a return on equity of 13.51% and a net margin of 5.06%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Element Solutions Inc will post 1.4 EPS for the current year.

Element Solutions Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. Element Solutions’s payout ratio is 65.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Benjamin Gliklich sold 61,667 shares of Element Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.20, for a total transaction of $1,430,674.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 704,395 shares in the company, valued at $16,341,964. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Element Solutions news, EVP Michael Goralski sold 1,169 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.20, for a total transaction of $27,120.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 146,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,394,090.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Benjamin Gliklich sold 61,667 shares of Element Solutions stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.20, for a total value of $1,430,674.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 704,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,341,964. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 97,203 shares of company stock worth $2,255,110. 7.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Element Solutions

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ESI. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Element Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Element Solutions by 85.6% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,318 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 608 shares during the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Element Solutions by 370.4% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,278 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Element Solutions by 95.9% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Element Solutions by 1,585.0% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,022 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,902 shares during the last quarter. 92.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Element Solutions

Element Solutions Inc operates as a specialty chemicals company in the United States, China, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Electronics, and Industrial & Specialty. The Electronics segment researches, formulates, and sells specialty chemicals and materials for various types of electronics hardware products.