Orion (NYSE:OEC) Stock Price Down 5.2% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) dropped 5.2% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $13.14 and last traded at $13.11. Approximately 203,604 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 532,535 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.83.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Orion Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $14.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.88. The stock has a market cap of $756.33 million, a P/E ratio of 17.80 and a beta of 1.52. 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 20.94% and a net margin of 2.35%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.0207 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. Orion’s payout ratio is 10.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Carlos Quinones bought 3,300 shares of Orion stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $13.07 per share, with a total value of $43,131.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president now owns 79,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,041,705.14. This trade represents a 4.32 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orion

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Orion in the fourth quarter worth $159,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Orion by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 118,937 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,878,000 after buying an additional 27,804 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new stake in shares of Orion in the 4th quarter worth about $382,000. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Orion by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 16,214 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 5,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 694,579 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $10,967,000 after acquiring an additional 117,022 shares during the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Orion

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.