Insider Selling: Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) VP Sells 3,154 Shares of Stock

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total value of $134,833.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 70,796 shares in the company, valued at $3,026,529. This trade represents a 4.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Stock Up 0.3 %

ODC stock traded up $0.13 during trading on Friday, reaching $42.65. The stock had a trading volume of 16,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,966. The company has a current ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $30.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.60. The company has a market capitalization of $622.70 million, a P/E ratio of 13.78 and a beta of 0.53. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a 1-year low of $29.47 and a 1-year high of $46.50.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a return on equity of 21.84% and a net margin of 9.92%.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.155 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. Oil-Dri Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.03%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ODC. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 81.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 445 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America in the third quarter worth $216,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 30.2% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,253 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $293,000 after buying an additional 986 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 40.8% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 4,772 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 1,383 shares during the period. 49.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Oil-Dri Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Company Profile

Oil-Dri Corp. of America develops, manufactures, and markets sorbent products. It operates through the Business to Business Products Group and Retail and Wholesale Products Group segments. The Business to Business Products Group segment’s customers include processors and refiners of edible oils, petroleum-based oils and biodiesel fuel, manufacturers of animal feed and agricultural chemicals, distributors of animal health and nutrition products, and marketers of consumer products.