Not a good buy right now for an impatient entry: price is pushing into near-term resistance (~30.07) while options positioning is heavily put-skewed ahead of earnings.
Trend is still constructive (bullish moving averages; hedge funds accumulating), so this is more of a hold/watch than a sell.
The cleaner “buy now” setup would typically be either (1) a breakout and hold above ~30.07–30.51, or (2) a pullback toward ~29.36 / ~28.66 support—but given the scenario, the current spot is not an attractive chase.
Price action: strong regular-session move (+3.61%) with post-market at 29.9, approaching resistance.
Trend: Bullish moving average stack (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200) supports an ongoing uptrend.
Momentum: MACD histogram -0.0256 (below zero) but negatively contracting → bearish momentum is fading, not accelerating.
RSI(6) ~62: mildly warm/near overbought-adjacent, but not extreme.
Key levels: Pivot 29.364 (near-term balance); Resistance R1 30.071 then R2 30.508; Support S1 28.658 then S2 28.221.
Pattern-based probabilities provided: modest near-term drift (next day +0.57% chance), stronger 1-month skew (+5.4%)—supports “hold for trend,” not “chase at resistance.”
Options Data
Bearish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bearish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Positioning: Put open interest (4411) vs call OI (1582) → bearish/hedging skew into upcoming catalysts.
Flow: Put/call volume ratio 71.43 with volume far above typical (today vs 30D avg ~777%) → unusually defensive sentiment or event-hedging.
Volatility: 30D IV ~38.66 vs HV ~31.58; IV percentile ~43 → options pricing implies elevated event risk but not extreme panic.
Takeaway: Options market is signaling near-term caution (likely earnings/event hedging), which weakens the case for an impatient buy at current levels.
after a strong up day—near-term upside may be capped without a breakout.
Financial Performance
Latest provided quarter: 2025/Q3.
Revenue: $656.1M, +1.72% YoY (modest growth).
Profitability: Gross margin 42.22%, +1.81% YoY (margin improvement is a positive trend).
Bottom line: Net income $39.3M, -2.48% YoY; EPS $0.16, -5.88% YoY (earnings growth lagging revenue).
Read-through: operating quality (margin) improved, but net/EPS softness suggests either costs/interest/taxes or mix/headwinds—earnings print is the next key validation point.
2026-01-21: Truist Buy, PT raised $30 → $33 (expects relative strength for AI/datacenter-exposed names even in low-growth macro).
2025-11-20: Mizuho kept Outperform but PT cut $31 → $29 (semiconductor index weakness cited).
Wall Street pros: clear thematic tailwinds (AI/datacenter electronics complexity), asset-light model, and rising PTs from major firms.
Wall Street cons: sensitivity to semi-cycle sentiment and the need for earnings delivery; mixed PT actions show some caution despite generally bullish ratings.
Wall Street analysts forecast ESI stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ESI is 33 USD with a low forecast of 29 USD and a high forecast of 35 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
5 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast ESI stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ESI is 33 USD with a low forecast of 29 USD and a high forecast of 35 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
5 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 27.990
Low
29
Averages
33
High
35
Current: 27.990
Low
29
Averages
33
High
35
BofA
Matthew DeYoe
Buy
maintain
$31 -> $33
AI Analysis
2026-01-26
Reason
BofA
Matthew DeYoe
Price Target
$31 -> $33
AI Analysis
2026-01-26
maintain
Buy
Reason
BofA analyst Matthew DeYoe raised the firm's price target on Element Solutions to $33 from $31 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. After having hosted Element Solutions CEO Ben Gliklich for investor meetings, the firm remains attracted to the companys asset light business model with exposure to AI and datacenter capital investment and increasing chip and circuit board complexity, the analyst tells investors, citing confidence in the growth algorithm and upside through Kuprion sales traction.
Truist
Buy
maintain
$30 -> $33
2026-01-21
Reason
Truist
Price Target
$30 -> $33
2026-01-21
maintain
Buy
Reason
Truist raised the firm's price target on Element Solutions to $33 from $30 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm adjusted targets in the chemicals group as part of its Q4 earnings preview. The analyst says demand growth for the group will be limited in 2026 given the "low-growth" macro environment. Truist expects relative strength to continue for the companies with exposure to AI and data centers.
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