Orion (NYSE:OEC) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Orion (NYSE:OEC) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research downgraded Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Orion from $7.00 to $7.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus price target of $5.92.

Orion Price Performance

OEC opened at $6.71 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $378.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.20 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. Orion has a 12-month low of $4.34 and a 12-month high of $11.20. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $6.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.57.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $434.31 million. Orion had a negative net margin of 4.98% and a positive return on equity of 2.23%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Orion will post 0.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Orion

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in OEC. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Orion by 26.4% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 9,925 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 2,072 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its position in Orion by 48.0% in the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 16,694 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $109,000 after buying an additional 5,418 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Orion by 91.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 248,838 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,617,000 after buying an additional 118,711 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Orion by 46.1% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 139,640 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $908,000 after buying an additional 44,029 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in Orion by 31.7% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 252,122 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,639,000 after buying an additional 60,692 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.33% of the company’s stock.

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.