Sei Investments Co. Increases Stock Position in Orion S.A. $OEC

Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) by 80.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 413,968 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 184,377 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned 0.73% of Orion worth $2,691,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Orion by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 4,599,907 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $29,899,000 after buying an additional 17,311 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Orion by 0.3% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Orion by 12.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,894,290 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $14,359,000 after acquiring an additional 213,339 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Orion by 0.4% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Orion by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,404,458 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,416,000 after acquiring an additional 236,013 shares during the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Orion Stock Down 4.8%

Orion stock opened at $7.24 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $6.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72. Orion S.A. has a twelve month low of $4.34 and a twelve month high of $11.20. The company has a market capitalization of $408.92 million, a P/E ratio of -4.18 and a beta of 1.00.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by ($0.02). Orion had a negative return on equity of 0.31% and a negative net margin of 5.28%.The company had revenue of $500.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.43 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Orion S.A. will post 0.13 EPS for the current year.

Orion Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a $0.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Orion’s payout ratio is presently -4.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Orion from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday. Zacks Research raised Orion from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Orion from $7.50 to $8.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and an average target price of $6.08.

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.