Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Element Solutions from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Element Solutions from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Element Solutions from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $30.00 price objective (up previously from $28.00) on shares of Element Solutions in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Element Solutions has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $29.40.

Element Solutions Price Performance

Shares of Element Solutions stock opened at $24.98 on Friday. Element Solutions has a 52 week low of $17.57 and a 52 week high of $28.68. The company has a current ratio of 3.50, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $6.05 billion, a PE ratio of 46.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.29. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $26.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.11.

Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.01. Element Solutions had a net margin of 8.24% and a return on equity of 14.42%. The company had revenue of $613.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $606.95 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.31 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Element Solutions will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Element Solutions during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,518,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Element Solutions in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $44,527,000. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in Element Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $613,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Element Solutions by 243.1% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 101,819 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,543,000 after buying an additional 72,145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Element Solutions by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,762,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,782,000 after buying an additional 118,237 shares during the period. 92.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.