Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI) Short Interest Update

Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,380,000 shares, a decrease of 6.1% from the December 15th total of 1,470,000 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,350,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Element Solutions to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com downgraded Element Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Element Solutions from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays increased their target price on Element Solutions from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Element Solutions from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $30.83.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Element Solutions

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Element Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Element Solutions during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in Element Solutions in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Element Solutions by 98.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,910 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 949 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Element Solutions by 39.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,056 shares of the company's stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 864 shares during the last quarter. 92.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Element Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of ESI traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $25.96. 788,038 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,051,110. Element Solutions has a twelve month low of $21.42 and a twelve month high of $29.78. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $26.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.52 and a quick ratio of 2.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.30.

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $645.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $626.52 million. Element Solutions had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 14.42%. Element Solutions's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. Analysts predict that Element Solutions will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Element Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Element Solutions's payout ratio is currently 28.83%.

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.

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