Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at KeyCorp

KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI - Free Report) in a research report report published on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an overweight rating and a $29.00 price objective on the stock.

ESI has been the topic of several other reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Element Solutions from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays decreased their target price on Element Solutions from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $28.00 price target (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Element Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of Element Solutions in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. They set a "hold" rating and a $28.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Element Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $30.00.

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Element Solutions Price Performance

ESI stock traded down $1.89 during trading on Thursday, hitting $18.24. The company had a trading volume of 4,671,370 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,733,428. The company has a current ratio of 3.34, a quick ratio of 2.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $25.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.16. Element Solutions has a fifty-two week low of $17.72 and a fifty-two week high of $29.78. The company has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.28.

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.35. Element Solutions had a net margin of 9.94% and a return on equity of 14.68%. The business had revenue of $624.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $598.24 million. Equities research analysts expect that Element Solutions will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Element Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Element Solutions's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Martin E. Franklin sold 2,000,000 shares of Element Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.10, for a total transaction of $52,200,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 109,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,847,510. This trade represents a 94.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 7.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Element Solutions

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ESI. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Element Solutions by 79.0% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 60,612 shares of the company's stock worth $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 26,753 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Element Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $423,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Element Solutions by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,328,894 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,224,000 after purchasing an additional 29,253 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Element Solutions by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 74,709 shares of the company's stock worth $1,900,000 after purchasing an additional 11,702 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Element Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $433,000. 92.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.