Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) Upgraded by KeyCorp to Strong-Buy Rating

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at KeyCorp to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on ESI. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $28.00 target price (down from $32.00) on shares of Element Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of Element Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Element Solutions from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Barclays cut their price target on Element Solutions from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on Element Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. They set a "hold" rating and a $28.00 price objective for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Element Solutions presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $30.00.

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Element Solutions Stock Down 9.4 %

NYSE ESI traded down $1.89 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $18.24. The company had a trading volume of 4,671,370 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,733,428. The firm's 50 day moving average is $25.18 and its 200 day moving average is $26.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 3.34 and a quick ratio of 2.77. 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 capitalization of $4.42 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35. The business had revenue of $624.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $598.24 million. Element Solutions had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 9.94%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Element Solutions will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Element Solutions news, Director Martin E. Franklin sold 2,000,000 shares of Element Solutions stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.10, for a total value of $52,200,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 109,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,847,510. The trade was a 94.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Element Solutions

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Element Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Element Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Element Solutions by 610.7% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,130 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in shares of Element Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Element Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Institutional investors own 92.32% of the company's stock.

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.