Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Strong Sell” from Analysts

Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) have received an average rating of “Strong Sell” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have given a hold rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $5.9167.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on OEC. Mizuho upped their target price on Orion from $4.50 to $5.25 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research upgraded Orion from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Orion from $7.00 to $7.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Orion from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th.

Orion Trading Up 9.9%

Shares of OEC stock opened at $8.26 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $465.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.16 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.20. Orion has a 1-year low of $4.34 and a 1-year high of $11.62.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $459.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $434.31 million. Orion had a positive return on equity of 2.23% and a negative net margin of 4.98%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Orion will post 0.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Orion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.0207 per share. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. Orion’s payout ratio is presently -5.00%.

Institutional Trading of Orion

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Orion by 430.9% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,861 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 4,757 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Orion by 321.8% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,382 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 5,632 shares in the last quarter. Performa Ltd US LLC increased its position in shares of Orion by 690.0% during the fourth quarter. Performa Ltd US LLC now owns 7,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 6,900 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Orion during the first quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Orion during the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Orion

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.