Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) Sets New 12-Month High at $25.20

Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $25.20 and last traded at $25.08, with a volume of 635181 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.67.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Element Solutions in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Element Solutions from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. TheStreet raised Element Solutions from a "c+" rating to a "b" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays increased their price objective on Element Solutions from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Element Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Element Solutions has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $25.60.

Element Solutions Trading Up 1.5 %

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.65. The stock has a market cap of $6.06 billion, a PE ratio of 51.09, a PEG ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.32. The firm had revenue of $573.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $590.43 million. Element Solutions had a return on equity of 13.51% and a net margin of 5.06%. The company's revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.29 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Element Solutions Inc will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Element Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. Element Solutions's dividend payout ratio is 65.31%.

Insider Activity at Element Solutions

In related news, CEO Benjamin Gliklich sold 61,667 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was 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 directly owns 704,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,341,964. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Benjamin Gliklich sold 61,667 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was 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 directly owns 704,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,341,964. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Carey J. Dorman sold 14,774 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.20, for a total value of $342,756.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 171,551 shares in the company, valued at $3,979,983.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 97,203 shares of company stock valued at $2,255,110. Corporate insiders own 7.90% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Element Solutions

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ESI. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Element Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $251,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Element Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $278,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Element Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. American Trust bought a new stake in shares of Element Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, Eventide Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Element Solutions by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC now owns 782,325 shares of the company's stock worth $18,103,000 after buying an additional 98,545 shares during the last quarter. 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.