Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning.

ESI has been the subject of several other research reports. Wolfe Research started coverage on Element Solutions in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a peer perform rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Element Solutions from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Barclays upped their price target 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 lifted their price objective on shares of Element Solutions from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Element Solutions from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $26.00.

Element Solutions Stock Performance

ESI opened at $23.82 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $24.20 and its 200 day moving average is $22.44. The company has a current ratio of 3.63, a quick ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $5.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.11, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.32. Element Solutions has a 12-month low of $17.53 and a 12-month high of $25.81.

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 29th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. Element Solutions had a net margin of 5.62% and a return on equity of 13.96%. The business had revenue of $575.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $588.17 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.30 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Element Solutions will post 1.39 EPS for the current year.

Element Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Element Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.26%.

Insider Activity at Element Solutions

In other Element Solutions news, EVP Michael Goralski sold 1,169 shares of Element Solutions stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 146,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,394,090.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Michael Goralski sold 1,169 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.20, for a total value of $27,120.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 146,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,394,090.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $1,430,674.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 704,395 shares in the company, valued at $16,341,964. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 97,203 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,110. 7.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Element Solutions

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESI. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new position in Element Solutions in the first quarter worth approximately $341,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Element Solutions by 79.2% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 15,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 6,908 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Element Solutions in the first quarter worth approximately $863,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Element Solutions by 243.1% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 101,819 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,543,000 after buying an additional 72,145 shares during the period. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Element Solutions during the 1st quarter valued at $301,000. 92.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.