Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) Sets New 1-Year High at $25.14

Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho decreased their price target on Element Solutions from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Element Solutions from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. 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 set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Element Solutions from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $25.60.

Element Solutions Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 3.24 and a quick ratio of 2.43. The stock has a market cap of $6.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.80, a P/E/G ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 1.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $23.41 and its 200 day moving average is $21.46.

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32. The business had revenue of $573.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $590.43 million. Element Solutions had a net margin of 5.06% and a return on equity of 13.51%. The company’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.29 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Element Solutions Inc will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Element Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Element Solutions news, CEO Benjamin Gliklich sold 61,667 shares of the company’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 $1,430,674.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 704,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,341,964. The transaction was disclosed in a filing 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 that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.20, for a total value of $27,120.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 146,297 shares in the company, valued at $3,394,090.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Benjamin Gliklich sold 61,667 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.20, for a total transaction of $1,430,674.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 704,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,341,964. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 97,203 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,110. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ESI. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Element Solutions by 2.5% during the third quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 4,495,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,162,000 after buying an additional 110,620 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Element Solutions by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,644,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,242,000 after acquiring an additional 183,562 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Element Solutions by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,730,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,934,000 after acquiring an additional 45,752 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Element Solutions by 47.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,403,980 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,362,000 after acquiring an additional 1,412,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Element Solutions by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 19,232,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $377,154,000 after acquiring an additional 798,662 shares in the last quarter. 92.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.