Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) Plans $0.02 Quarterly Dividend

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of 0.0207 per share by the specialty chemicals company on Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th.

Orion has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 0.2%annually over the last three years. Orion has a payout ratio of 4.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Orion to earn $0.55 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.08 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 14.5%.

Orion Stock Up 1.1%

OEC traded up $0.08 during trading on Friday, reaching $7.42. 25,248 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 700,712. The stock has a market cap of $417.75 million, a P/E ratio of -5.89 and a beta of 0.91. Orion has a twelve month low of $4.34 and a twelve month high of $12.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $5.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.34) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.26). The firm had revenue of $411.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $365.79 million. Orion had a positive return on equity of 6.52% and a negative net margin of 3.88%. Equities analysts expect that Orion will post 0.3 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orion

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Orion in the first quarter valued at about $55,000. Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Orion in the fourth quarter valued at about $91,000. Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Orion in the fourth quarter valued at about $202,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Orion by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,807,965 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $9,546,000 after acquiring an additional 7,898 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Orion by 31.0% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 72,571 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $383,000 after acquiring an additional 17,166 shares in the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.