Element Solutions (NYSE:ESI) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Shares of Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $24.85, but opened at $25.75. Element Solutions shares last traded at $24.94, with a volume of 1,047,914 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ESI shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Element Solutions from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Element Solutions from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 target price (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Element Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Element Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. They set a “hold” rating and a $28.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Element Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Element Solutions has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.14.

Element Solutions Stock Up 1.4 %

The company has a market cap of $6.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 3.34, a quick ratio of 2.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $25.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.36.

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

Element Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Element Solutions’s payout ratio is 31.37%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Element Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Element Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Element Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Element Solutions by 610.7% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 971 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in Element Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 92.32% of the company’s stock.

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.