Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) Hits New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI) reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $20.70 and last traded at $20.77, with a volume of 425000 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $22.69.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp began coverage on Element Solutions in a report on Thursday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $29.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Element Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $28.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Element Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Element Solutions from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Element Solutions from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.00.

Element Solutions Stock Down 11.3 %

The stock has a market cap of $4.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.73, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.29. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $25.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.25.

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35. Element Solutions had a net margin of 9.94% and a return on equity of 14.68%. The business had revenue of $624.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $598.24 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Element Solutions Inc will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Element Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Element Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.37%.

Insider Activity at Element Solutions

In other news, Director Martin E. Franklin sold 2,000,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,847,510. This trade represents a 94.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 7.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Element Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Element Solutions in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Element Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Element Solutions by 610.7% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in Element Solutions in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Element Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. 92.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Element Solutions

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.