Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 144,300 shares, a growth of 85.0% from the December 31st total of 78,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 41,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE:ODC opened at $42.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $615.10 million, a PE ratio of 13.61 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $33.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.55. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a fifty-two week low of $29.47 and a fifty-two week high of $46.50.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) last posted 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.155 dividend. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Oil-Dri Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total value of $134,833.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 70,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,026,529. This represents a 4.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Amy Ryan sold 2,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.78, for a total value of $87,738.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $162,942. This trade represents a 35.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 11.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Oil-Dri Co. of America Company Profile

Oil-Dri Corporation of America is a manufacturer and supplier of specialty sorbent products for the pet care, animal health and nutrition, fluids purification, agricultural ingredients, sports field, industrial and automotive markets. It operates through the Business to Business Products Group and Retail and Wholesale Products Group segments.