Orion (NYSE:OEC) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $15.45 and last traded at $15.46, with a volume of 288522 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $16.19.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

OEC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Orion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Orion from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th.

Orion Trading Down 2.6 %

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $17.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.05. The company has a market capitalization of $920.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.18). Orion had a return on equity of 19.21% and a net margin of 4.09%. The company had revenue of $477.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $491.14 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.53 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Orion S.A. will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Orion Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.021 dividend. This is a boost from Orion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. Orion’s dividend payout ratio is 6.06%.

Insider Activity

In other Orion news, CEO Corning F. Painter purchased 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $17.48 per share, for a total transaction of $349,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 948,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,584,604.48. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Orion news, CEO Corning F. Painter bought 20,000 shares of Orion stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $17.48 per share, with a total value of $349,600.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 948,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,584,604.48. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Glajch purchased 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.16 per share, for a total transaction of $272,400.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 101,855 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,849,686.80. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 47,500 shares of company stock worth $845,225. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Orion by 3.8% in the second quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,724,139 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $59,768,000 after buying an additional 99,613 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Orion by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,877,706 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $41,197,000 after acquiring an additional 80,266 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Orion by 4.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,807,942 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $42,523,000 after purchasing an additional 77,952 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Orion by 18.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,347,138 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $29,556,000 after purchasing an additional 210,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Divisar Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Orion by 7.3% during the second quarter. Divisar Capital Management LLC now owns 805,082 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $17,663,000 after purchasing an additional 55,000 shares in the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.