Ariel Investments LLC Cuts Stock Position in Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. $AXTA

Key Points

• Ariel Investments LLC has decreased its stake in Axalta Coating Systems by 2.1%, selling 87,651 shares to hold 4,125,561 shares, valued at approximately $136.8 million.
• Axalta's stock has seen a 12-month low of $27.58 and a high of $41.65, with shares currently opening at $31.04.
• Analyst ratings reflect a shift in sentiment, with BMO Capital Markets and Deutsche Bank downgrading the stock, leading to a consensus target price of $37.71.

Ariel Investments LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,125,561 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 87,651 shares during the period. Ariel Investments LLC owned 1.89% of Axalta Coating Systems worth $136,845,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 12,242 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $419,000 after buying an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,704 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 25,360 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $841,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 13,691 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 105.9% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 949 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. 98.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Amy Tufano sold 3,194 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.06, for a total value of $99,205.64. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 12,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $375,422.22. The trade was a 20.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Axalta Coating Systems Trading Up 1.8%

AXTA traded up $0.55 on Friday, reaching $31.78. 2,552,891 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,391,272. Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. has a one year low of $27.58 and a one year high of $41.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.48. The company has a market cap of $6.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47.

Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. Axalta Coating Systems had a net margin of 8.58% and a return on equity of 25.32%. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.57 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Axalta Coating Systems has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.450-2.550 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 0.630-0.670 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXTA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $40.00 to $39.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $37.71.

About Axalta Coating Systems

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., through its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes high-performance coatings systems in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Mobility Coatings.