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

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) has been given a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” by the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and one has assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $5.5833.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research downgraded Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Orion from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Orion from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Orion from $4.50 to $5.25 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Orion by 430.9% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,861 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 4,757 shares in the last quarter. Performa Ltd US LLC lifted its position in shares of Orion by 690.0% in the fourth quarter. Performa Ltd US LLC now owns 7,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 6,900 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Orion during the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in shares of Orion by 277.5% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 11,147 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 8,194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Orion by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,340 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 1,742 shares during the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Orion Trading Up 3.3%

Orion stock opened at $6.49 on Wednesday. Orion has a 12 month low of $4.34 and a 12 month high of $13.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market cap of $365.14 million, a P/E ratio of -5.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.89.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.34) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.26). The firm had revenue of $411.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $365.79 million. Orion had a positive return on equity of 6.52% and a negative net margin of 3.88%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Orion will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Orion Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.0207 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Orion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -6.35%.

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.