Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) Sets New 1-Year 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

A number of brokerages recently commented on ESI. Wolfe Research began coverage on Element Solutions in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on Element Solutions from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Element Solutions from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Element Solutions from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, TheStreet raised Element Solutions from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $25.60.

Element Solutions Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization 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 company has a current ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.46.

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) last posted 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. Element Solutions had a return on equity of 13.51% and a net margin of 5.06%. The business had revenue of $573.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $590.43 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.29 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Element Solutions Inc will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Element Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Element Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

Insider Activity at Element Solutions

In other Element Solutions news, EVP Michael Goralski sold 11,604 shares of the business’s 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 $269,212.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 143,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,327,947.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Element Solutions news, CFO Carey J. Dorman sold 14,774 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.20, for a total transaction of $342,756.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 171,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,979,983.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Goralski sold 11,604 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.20, for a total value of $269,212.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 143,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,327,947.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 97,203 shares of company stock worth $2,255,110 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Element Solutions Company Profile

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.