HighTower Advisors LLC Buys 1,020 Shares of Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI)

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,890 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Element Solutions were worth $328,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in Element Solutions by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 66,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,698,000 after purchasing an additional 545 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Element Solutions by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 34,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $867,000 after buying an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Element Solutions by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after buying an additional 684 shares during the period. Forte Capital LLC ADV grew its stake in Element Solutions by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Forte Capital LLC ADV now owns 12,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 830 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Element Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. 92.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Element Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ESI opened at $22.56 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of 22.12, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 3.34, a quick ratio of 2.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Element Solutions Inc has a 1-year low of $22.13 and a 1-year high of $29.78. The business’s 50 day moving average is $25.53 and its 200-day moving average is $26.27.

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.35. The firm had revenue of $624.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $598.24 million. Element Solutions had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 9.94%. Sell-side analysts predict that Element Solutions Inc will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Element Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Element Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.37%.

Insider Activity at Element Solutions

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on ESI. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Element Solutions from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets increased 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. StockNews.com lowered Element Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 price target (down from $32.00) on shares of Element Solutions in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Element Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $28.00 price objective on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.14.

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.