Orion (NYSE:OEC) Shares Down 5.2% – What’s Next?

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)’s share price traded down 5.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $13.14 and last traded at $13.11. 203,604 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 62% from the average session volume of 532,535 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.83.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group cut their price objective on Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Orion from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Orion Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company has a market capitalization of $760.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.90 and a beta of 1.52.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.10. Orion had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 20.94%. The company had revenue of $434.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $437.03 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.0207 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Orion’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.67%.

Insider Activity

In other Orion news, VP Carlos Quinones purchased 3,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $13.07 per share, with a total value of $43,131.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 79,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,705.14. This trade represents a 4.32 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Orion

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Orion during the 4th quarter worth $159,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Orion by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 118,937 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 27,804 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP purchased a new stake in Orion during the 4th quarter worth $382,000. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in Orion by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 16,214 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 5,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Orion by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 694,579 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $10,967,000 after buying an additional 117,022 shares during the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Orion Company Profile

Orion SA, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of carbon black products. It operates in two segments, Specialty Carbon Black and Rubber Carbon Black. The company offers post-treated specialty carbon black grades for coatings and printing applications; high purity carbon black grades for the fiber industry; and conductive carbon black grades for batteries, polymers, and coatings.