Orion (NYSE:OEC) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen
by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat Gem
Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Orion (NYSE:OEC – Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Thursday.
Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Orion from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Orion from $4.50 to $5.25 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research lowered Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and an average target price of $5.75.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on OEC
Orion Stock Performance
Shares of OEC opened at $6.75 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Orion has a one year low of $4.34 and a one year high of $12.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $379.94 million, a P/E ratio of -5.36 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a fifty day moving average of $5.96 and a 200 day moving average of $5.79.
Orion (NYSE:OEC – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.34) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.26). Orion had a positive return on equity of 6.52% and a negative net margin of 3.88%.The firm had revenue of $411.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $365.79 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Orion will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.
Orion Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were given a $0.0207 dividend. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. Orion’s payout ratio is currently -6.35%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Orion by 2.6% in the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 4,694,825 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $35,587,000 after buying an additional 117,628 shares in the last quarter. Divisar Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Orion by 10.9% in the third quarter. Divisar Capital Management LLC now owns 2,450,414 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $18,574,000 after buying an additional 241,160 shares in the last quarter. Harvey Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Orion by 15.5% in the second quarter. Harvey Partners LLC now owns 2,424,995 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $25,438,000 after buying an additional 325,995 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Orion by 0.3% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,350,415 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $17,816,000 after buying an additional 7,045 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Orion by 6.9% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,138,131 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $16,207,000 after buying an additional 137,890 shares in the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Orion Company Profile
Orion Engineered Carbons SA, operating as Orion (NYSE: OEC), is a global producer of carbon black, a critical performance additive used to enhance the strength, durability and conductivity of various materials. The company’s products chiefly serve the tire and rubber industry, where carbon black imparts wear resistance and longevity, as well as the plastics, coatings, inks and battery components markets, where specialty grades deliver tailored conductivity and color properties.
Orion’s product portfolio is organized into two core segments: Rubber and Specialty and Chemical Specialties.