Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) Upgraded at KeyCorp

KeyCorp upgraded shares of Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on ESI. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Element Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $28.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 price objective (down from $32.00) on shares of Element Solutions in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com downgraded 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 price target on shares of Element Solutions from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Element Solutions from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Element Solutions currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $30.00.

Element Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of ESI opened at $18.24 on Wednesday. Element Solutions has a one year low of $17.72 and a one year high of $29.78. The company has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a PE ratio of 17.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $25.18 and a 200-day moving average of $26.15. 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 (NYSE:ESI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Element Solutions will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Element Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Element Solutions’s payout ratio is 31.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Element Solutions

In other news, Director Martin E. Franklin sold 2,000,000 shares of the business’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 value of $52,200,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 109,100 shares in the company, valued at $2,847,510. The trade was a 94.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Element Solutions

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Element Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Element Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in 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 buying an additional 971 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in Element Solutions in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Element Solutions in the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. 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.