Orion (NYSE:OEC) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $14.94 and last traded at $15.00, with a volume of 14368 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $15.18.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Orion Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.48. The company has a market capitalization of $885.86 million, a PE ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.39.

Orion Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.021 per share. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. This is an increase from Orion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Orion’s payout ratio is 6.06%.

Insider Transactions at Orion

In other Orion news, Director Dan F. Smith bought 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $18.53 per share, with a total value of $46,325.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 78,772 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,459,645.16. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Corning F. Painter acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $17.69 per share, with a total value of $176,900.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 958,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,960,747.44. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Dan F. Smith acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $18.53 per share, with a total value of $46,325.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 78,772 shares in the company, valued at $1,459,645.16. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 47,500 shares of company stock worth $845,225. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orion

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in OEC. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Orion by 1.9% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 29,600 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $696,000 after buying an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Orion by 1.9% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 34,371 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $754,000 after purchasing an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Orion by 4.8% in the second quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 16,040 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in Orion by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 9,956 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in Orion by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 11,949 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 850 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.