High Volumes of Put Options on Element Solutions are Purchased by Investors (NYSE:ESI)

On Friday, options trading activity was abnormally high for Element Solutions Inc (NYSE:ESI). On the company, investors bought 2,001 put options. Compared to the usual volume of 422 put options, this is an increase of 374%.

On the stock, a number of equities research analysts recently made comments. In a research report published on Friday, July 29th, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Element Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating. In a report on Thursday, July 7th, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Element Solutions from $29.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the business. Finally, in a report on Monday, July 11th, Barclays lowered their target price for shares of Element Solutions from $24.00 to $22.00 while upgrading the stock from “equal weight” to “overweight.” Four analysts have given the firm a buy rating, while one has given the stock a hold rating.

The stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $25.25, according to data from MarketBeat.com.

Recent changes have been made to the holdings of ESI by several significant investors. In the second quarter, Fieldpoint Private Securities LLC acquired a new interest in Element Solutions shares valued at around $31,000. During the first quarter, Prospera Financial Services Inc. acquired a new interest in Element Solutions for $34,000. During the first quarter, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Element Solutions by 32.1%. Covestor Ltd now owns 692 more shares of the business’s stock, for a total of 2,845 shares, valued at $62,000.

During the second quarter, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Element Solutions by 1,473.2%. After acquiring an additional 3,786 shares during the course of the period, First Horizon Advisors Inc. now directly owns 4,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,000. And finally, during the second quarter, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in Element Solutions by 49.5%. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,654 more shares of the business’s stock valued at $89,000 than it did two months ago. 90.05% of the stock of the firm is held by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Article originally posted on marketbeat.com