Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI) Shares Sold by Castleark Management LLC

Castleark Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI - Free Report) by 13.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 257,280 shares of the company's stock after selling 40,240 shares during the quarter. Castleark Management LLC owned 0.11% of Element Solutions worth $6,543,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESI. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Element Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Element Solutions by 610.7% in the 4th 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Element Solutions during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Element Solutions during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Element Solutions by 98.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,910 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 949 shares during the last quarter. 92.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on Element Solutions from $31.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Element Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Element Solutions from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $24.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Element Solutions from $30.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Element Solutions from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Element Solutions presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $26.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Element Solutions 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 shares were sold at an average price of $26.10, for a total transaction of $52,200,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 109,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,847,510. This trade represents a 94.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Element Solutions Trading Down 0.8%

ESI stock traded down $0.17 during trading on Monday, hitting $21.42. 974,086 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,966,882. Element Solutions Inc has a 1 year low of $16.77 and a 1 year high of $29.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 2.77 and a current ratio of 3.34. The company has a 50-day moving average of $21.07 and a 200-day moving average of $24.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.24.

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. Element Solutions had a net margin of 9.94% and a return on equity of 14.68%. The business had revenue of $593.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $576.73 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.34 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Element Solutions Inc will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Element Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Element Solutions's payout ratio is currently 26.89%.

Element Solutions 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.