Medina Value Partners LLC Boosts Stake in Orion S.A. $OEC

Medina Value Partners LLC increased its stake in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) by 245.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,238,058 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 879,479 shares during the quarter. Orion makes up approximately 2.2% of Medina Value Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Medina Value Partners LLC owned approximately 2.20% of Orion worth $9,384,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in Orion by 321.8% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,382 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 5,632 shares during the last quarter. Cowa LLC bought a new stake in shares of Orion in the third quarter worth about $104,000. AXQ Capital LP lifted its position in shares of Orion by 20.9% in the third quarter. AXQ Capital LP now owns 14,337 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $109,000 after buying an additional 2,474 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Orion by 111.2% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 17,667 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $134,000 after buying an additional 9,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in Orion during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $137,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.33% of the company’s stock.

Orion Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of Orion stock traded up $0.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $4.96. The stock had a trading volume of 23,077 shares, compared to its average volume of 734,257. Orion S.A. has a 12 month low of $4.34 and a 12 month high of $13.93. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $6.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.39. The stock has a market cap of $279.10 million, a PE ratio of -3.93 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.34) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.26). Orion had a positive return on equity of 6.52% and a negative net margin of 3.88%.The business had revenue of $411.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $365.79 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Orion Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a $0.0207 dividend. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Orion’s dividend payout ratio is currently -6.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Orion from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Orion from $9.00 to $5.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 28th. Zacks Research cut shares of Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Orion from $4.50 to $5.25 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Orion from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Orion presently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus price target of $5.58.

Orion 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.