Orion (NYSE:OEC) Shares Down 3.2% – What’s Next?

Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) were down 3.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $12.24 and last traded at $12.24. Approximately 27,676 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 489,175 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

OEC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price 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.

Orion Trading Down 2.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $698.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.51 and a beta of 1.52. The business has a fifty day moving average of $13.91 and a 200-day moving average of $15.66.

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

Orion Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.0207 per share. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. Orion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Orion

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Orion in the third quarter worth $27,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd grew its position in Orion by 1,578.7% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 4,415 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 4,152 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Orion by 1,112.9% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 8,624 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 7,913 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Orion during the fourth quarter valued at about $159,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of Orion in the fourth quarter valued at about $171,000. Institutional investors own 94.33% of the company’s stock.

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.