Element Solutions Inc (ESI)

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section should be read in conjunction with the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included in this Quarterly Report, and the Consolidated Financial Statements, related notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section and other disclosures contained in our 2025 Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including, but not limited to, those discussed in "Forward-Looking Statements” of this Quarterly Report, and in Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" of our 2025 Annual Report.

Overview

Our Business

Element Solutions, incorporated in Delaware in January 2014, is a leading global specialty chemicals technology company whose businesses supply a broad range of solutions that enhance the performance of products people use every day. Developed in multi-step technological processes, these innovative solutions enable customers' manufacturing processes in multiple high-value industries, including semiconductor fabrication, high-performance computing, automotive systems, consumer electronics, power electronics, communications and data storage infrastructure, aerospace and defense, industrial surface finishing and offshore energy. Our product innovation and product extensions are expected to continue to drive sales growth in both new and existing markets while expanding margins through a consistent focus on increasing customer value propositions.

We believe the majority of our businesses hold strong positions in the high-growth markets we serve. Our extensive global teams of specially trained scientists and engineers develop our solutions, and our expert sales and service organizations ensure our customers' needs are met every day. Our customer-centric innovation means we develop technologies to meet the identified needs of our supply chains. We solve our customers' existing and emerging problems through technical service and innovation. We believe that our customers place significant value on the consistency and quality of our brands, on which we capitalize through significant market share, customer loyalty and supply chain access. In addition, operational risks and switching costs make it difficult for our customers to change suppliers which allows us to retain customers and maintain our market positions.

Our customers rely on our innovation to develop new products of their own, so our capabilities help them keep up in fast-paced, high-growth markets. To that end, we draw upon our broad and longstanding intellectual property portfolio and technical expertise, while working closely with both customers and OEMs on an ongoing basis, to develop proprietary solutions tailored to their manufacturing needs. We leverage these close relationships to win qualifications and specifications into their supply chains as well as to identify opportunities for new products; all of which provide potential additional revenue streams.

Our strategy is based on a balance of operational excellence and prudent capital allocation. Our operating teams focus on the strong execution of customer-led product development, superior technical sales support and continuous supply chain optimization. Our senior leadership aims to foster an environment of accountability and success for our operating teams while also evaluating and executing on high-return capital allocation opportunities that can drive compounding of long-term intrinsic value per share.

Our Operations

Our operations are organized into two segments: Electronics and Specialties, which are each described below:

Electronics – Our Electronics segment researches, formulates and sells specialty chemicals and material process technologies for all types of electronics hardware, from complex printed circuit board designs to advanced semiconductor packaging. In high-performance datacenters, mobile communications, computers, automobiles and aerospace equipment, its products are an integral part of the electronics manufacturing process and the functionality of end-products. The segment's "wet chemistries" for metallization, surface treatments and solderable finishes form the physical circuitry pathways and its "assembly materials," such as SMT, pastes, fluxes and adhesives, join those pathways together.

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Electronics provides solutions through the following businesses:

Specialties – Our Specialties segment researches, formulates and sells specialty chemicals and material process technologies that enable or enhance the performance of high value products across diverse sectors from automotive to energy infrastructure to semiconductors and satellites. Its products include chemical systems that protect and decorate metal and plastic surfaces, chemistries used in water-based hydraulic control fluids for offshore energy production and rare or high-purity gases and advanced materials used in semiconductor fabrication, satellite systems, electrical transmission infrastructure and other end-markets.

Specialties provides solutions through the following businesses:

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Recent Developments

Solstice Transaction - On July 6, 2026, we and Solstice entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement") for the acquisition of us by Solstice, subject to regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Upon completion of the merger, each of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock, except for treasury shares and certain other exceptions, will be exchanged for (i) 0.5 shares of Solstice common stock and (ii) $10.00 in cash, without interest, plus cash in lieu of any fractional shares. The proposed transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027 and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

A more detailed summary of the Merger Agreement is set forth in our current report on Form 8-K filed on July 6, 2026 under Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, which summary is incorporated herein by reference.

The description of the Merger Agreement contained herein and the summary do not purport to be complete and are qualified in

their entirety by reference to the full text of the Merger Agreement, a copy of which is included herewith as Exhibit 2.1.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Our recent accounting pronouncements have not changed materially from the summary disclosed in Note 3, Recent Accounting Pronouncements, to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2025 Annual Report.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our financial results presented in accordance with GAAP in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section, we present certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as operating results on a constant currency and organic basis, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin. Management internally reviews these non-GAAP measures to evaluate performance on a comparative period-to-period basis in terms of absolute performance, trends and expected future performance with respect to our business. We believe these non-GAAP financial mea

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section should be read in conjunction with “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” included in Part II, Item 8 of this 2025 Annual Report and our audited Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this 2025 Annual Report. “Overview” and "2025 Highlights" briefly present our business and certain significant events addressed in this section or elsewhere in this 2025 Annual Report. This 2025 Annual Report should be read in its entirety for a complete description of our business and discussion of these events.

Overview

Element Solutions, incorporated in Delaware in January 2014, is a leading global specialty chemicals technology company whose businesses supply a broad range of solutions that enhance the performance of products people use every day. Developed in multi-step technological processes, these innovative solutions enable customers' manufacturing processes in multiple high-value industries, including consumer electronics, power electronics, semiconductor fabrication, high-performance computing, communications and data storage infrastructure, automotive systems, industrial surface finishing and offshore energy. Our product innovation and product extensions are expected to continue to drive sales growth in both new and existing markets while expanding margins through a consistent focus on increasing customer value propositions.

Our operations are organized into two segments: Electronics and Specialties. In 2025, we achieved net sales of $2.55 billion, to which our Electronics and Specialties segments contributed approximately 70% and 30%, respectively.

Each of our segments is described below:

Electronics – The Electronics segment researches, formulates and sells specialty chemicals and material process technologies for all types of electronics hardware from complex printed circuit board designs to advanced semiconductor packaging. In high-performance datacenters, mobile communications, computers, automobiles and aerospace equipment, its products are an integral part of the electronics manufacturing process and the functionality of end-products. The segment's "wet chemistries" for metallization, surface treatments and solderable finishes form the physical circuitry pathways and its "assembly materials," such as SMT, pastes, fluxes and adhesives, join those pathways together. The segment provides solutions through the following businesses: Assembly Solutions, Circuitry Solutions and Semiconductor Solutions.

Specialties – The Specialties segment researches, formulates and sells specialty chemicals and material process technologies that enhance surfaces or improve industrial processes in diverse industrial sectors from automotive trim to transcontinental infrastructure to high-design faucets. Its products include chemical systems that protect and decorate metal and plastic surfaces and chemistries used in water-based hydraulic control fluids for offshore energy production. The segment's products are used in the aerospace, automotive, construction, consumer electronics and oil and gas production end-markets. The segment provides solutions through the following businesses: Industrial Solutions and Energy Solutions. On February 28, 2025, we completed the sale of our flexographic printing plate business, MacDermid Graphics Solutions.

2025 Highlights

•Portfolio Optimization - On February 28, 2025, we completed the sale of our flexographic printing plate business, MacDermid Graphics Solutions, for approximately $320 million, net of disposed cash. MacDermid Graphics Solutions was reported within the Specialties segment. The sale resulted in a gain of $66.5 million.

•EFC Acquisition - On January 2, 2026, we completed the acquisition of EFC Gases & Advanced Materials, a provider of high-purity specialty gases and other advanced materials, for a purchase price of approximately $369 million, net of cash and subject to adjustments, with a potential earn-out based on EFC's 2026 performance of up to $30.0 million cash or 1.16 million Company shares.

•Micromax Acquisition - On February 2, 2026, we completed the acquisition of Micromax, a global supplier of advanced electronics inks and pastes, for a purchase price of approximately $500 million, net of cash and subject to adjustments.

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•Add-on Term Loans & Revolver Upsize - On February 2, 2026, we completed the syndication of $450 million of Add-on Term Loans and a 5-year $500 million senior secured revolving credit facility, which replaced our then existing $375 million revolving facility, upsizing the facility by $125 million and extending its maturity to 2031. The proceeds of the Add-on Term Loans were used to fund a portion of the purchase price of the Micromax Acquisition.

•Cash Dividends - During the year ended December 31, 2025, approximately $77.8 million was returned to our stockholders in the form of cash dividends.

•Repurchases of Common Stock - During the year ended December 31, 2025, we repurchased 1.2 million shares of our common stock for $25.0 million. The remaining authorization under our stock repurchase program was approximately $556 million at December 31, 2025.

Acquisitions

We regularly pursue targeted and opportunistic acquisitions in our existing or adjacent end-markets that seek to strengthen our current businesses, expand and diversify our product offerings, and enhance our growth and strategic position. We expect to achieve commercial and distribution efficiencies by expanding into related categories that can be marketed through our existing distribution channels or provide us with new distribution channels for our existing products. To the extent we pursue future acquisitions, we expect that acquisition candidates would demonstrate a combination of attractive margins, strong cash flow characteristics, niche leading positions and consumable products that generate recurring revenue. We believe the diversity of the niche end-markets we serve will enable us to continue our growth and maintain strong cash flow generation throughout economic cycles and mitigate the impact of a downturn in any single market. We will only pursue an acquisition candidate when it is deemed to be fiscally prudent and meets our acquisition criteria. We anticipate that any future acquisitions would be financed through a combination of cash on hand, availability under our Credit Agreement and/or new debt or equity offerings.

Foreign Currency Exposure

In 2025, approximately 79% of our net sales originated outside of the U.S. and were denominated in numerous currencies, including the Chinese yuan and euro. Therefore, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates in any given reporting period may positively or negatively impact our financial performance. Foreign exchange translation had an immaterial impact on our 2025 net sales performance.

In addition, our foreign subsidiaries are subject to foreign currency risk relating to receipts from customers, payments to suppliers and intercompany transactions that are not in their functional currency, which is typically their local currency. As a result, our foreign subsidiaries may enter, and have entered, into foreign exchange hedges designed to protect against transaction exposures. We actively assess our hedging programs in order to mitigate foreign exchange risk exposures. This includes programs to hedge our foreign currency denominated balance sheet exposures as well as foreign currency anticipated cash flows.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates that may significantly impact our reported financial results and accompanying disclosures. We base our estimates, assumptions and judgments on historical experience, current conditions and other factors that we consider reasonable. Estimates relate to matters that are inherently uncertain and actual results may differ from these estimates and such differences could be material to our financial statements.

We consider the accounting estimates discussed below to be critical to the understanding of our financial statements and involve difficult, subjective or complex judgments that could potentially affect our reported results. See Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this 2025 Annual Report for a detailed discussion of the application of these and other accounting policies.

Goodwill

Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level annually in the fourth quarter, or when events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill might be impaired using either a qualitative or quantitative approach. Our reporting units are determined based upon our organizational structure in place at the date of the goodwill impairment test.

We may elect to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not (greater than 50%) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. Qualitative factors may include, but are not limited to, economic,

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market and industry conditions, cost factors, and overall financial performance of the reporting units. If we do not perform a qualitative assessment, or if the qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, the Company performs a quantitative test.

For the quantitative test, the Company tests for impairment by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value. The fair value of a reporting unit is based equally on market multiples and the present value of discounted future cash flows. The discounted cash flows are prepared based upon cash flows at the reporting unit level. The cash flow model utilized in the goodwill impairment test involves significant judgments related to future growth rates, gross profit, operating expenses and discount rates, among other considerations from the vantage point of a market participant. If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of the net assets assigned to that reporting unit, goodwill is not impaired and no further testing is required. If the carrying value of the net assets assigned to the reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, the goodwill impairment loss is calculated as the difference between these amounts, limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit.

In 2025, the estimated fair value of each of our reporting units was considered to be substantially in excess of their respective carrying value.

See Note 8, Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Net, to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this 2025 Annual Report for additional information.

Income Taxes

We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the differences between the financial statement basis and the tax basis of assets, liabilities, net operating losses and tax carryforwards. A valuation allowance is required to be recognized to reduce the recorded deferred tax asset to the amount that will more likely than not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income by jurisdiction during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible or when carryforwards can be utilized. We consider the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in this assessment. If these estimates and related assumptions change in the future, we may be required to record additional valuation allowances against our deferred tax assets resulting in additional income tax expense. We evaluate our valuation allowance conclusions on a quarterly basis based on available evi

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