Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd Acquires New Holdings in Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. $AXTA

Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd bought a new stake in Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 840,804 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,166,000. Axalta Coating Systems comprises 2.7% of Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Axalta Coating Systems by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,161,682 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $38,533,000 after purchasing an additional 51,130 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 29.0% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 156,122 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,179,000 after buying an additional 35,092 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 8.5% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 406,511 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $12,069,000 after acquiring an additional 31,759 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 371.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,501 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Axalta Coating Systems by 22.0% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 318,122 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,445,000 after acquiring an additional 57,440 shares during the period. 98.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axalta Coating Systems Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of AXTA stock opened at $33.34 on Wednesday. Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. has a 52-week low of $24.94 and a 52-week high of $35.72. The stock has a market cap of $7.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $29.53 and a 200-day moving average of $30.75.

Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.06. Axalta Coating Systems had a net margin of 7.22% and a return on equity of 22.37%. The business had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Axalta Coating Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.70 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.650-0.65 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. will post 2.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXTA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Axalta Coating Systems from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $39.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup began coverage on Axalta Coating Systems in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $36.00 price target on Axalta Coating Systems in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.31.

Axalta Coating Systems Company Profile

Axalta Coating Systems is a global leader in the development, manufacture and sale of liquid and powder coatings. The company’s product portfolio spans refinish coatings for the automotive collision repair market, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) coatings for new vehicle production, and industrial coatings including electrodeposition (E-coat) and powder coatings for a variety of sectors such as architecture, heavy equipment and general industrial applications.

Tracing its roots to the 19th century and rebranded as Axalta following its separation from DuPont Performance Coatings in 2013, the company has built a presence in more than 100 countries.