Dean Investment Associates LLC Sells 49,731 Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

Dean Investment Associates LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) by 52.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 44,961 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 49,731 shares during the period. Dean Investment Associates LLC’s holdings in Orion were worth $710,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Orion by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 103,522 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,634,000 after buying an additional 8,010 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Orion in the 4th quarter worth about $7,464,000. EVR Research LP bought a new position in Orion in the 4th quarter worth about $12,632,000. LSV Asset Management grew its position in Orion by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 211,400 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 28,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP bought a new stake in Orion during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,302,000. 94.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Orion Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE OEC opened at $11.89 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $13.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.17. Orion S.A. has a 52-week low of $10.50 and a 52-week high of $26.05. The company has a market cap of $673.79 million, a PE ratio of 15.86 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

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

Orion Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.0207 per share. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. Orion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

OEC has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Orion from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group reduced their target price on Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Orion

In other news, VP Carlos Quinones purchased 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $13.07 per share, for a total transaction of $43,131.00. Following the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 79,702 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,705.14. This trade represents a 4.32 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.