Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) Given Average Rating of “Strong Sell” by Analysts

Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) have received an average rating of “Strong Sell” from the five analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have issued a hold rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $5.9167.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on OEC shares. Mizuho raised 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. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Orion from $7.00 to $7.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Orion from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Orion from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th.

Orion Price Performance

OEC opened at $6.69 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $6.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Orion has a 1 year low of $4.34 and a 1 year high of $12.10. The firm has a market cap of $377.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.18 and a beta of 0.98.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). Orion had a positive return on equity of 2.23% and a negative net margin of 4.98%.The company had revenue of $459.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $434.31 million. As a group, analysts predict that Orion will post 0.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a $0.0207 dividend. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. Orion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -5.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Divisar Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Orion by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. Divisar Capital Management LLC now owns 2,450,414 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $18,574,000 after buying an additional 241,160 shares during the last quarter. CSM Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Orion by 106.5% in the 3rd quarter. CSM Advisors LLC now owns 539,961 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,092,000 after buying an additional 278,501 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Orion by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,138,131 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $16,207,000 after buying an additional 137,890 shares during the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP grew its position in shares of Orion by 36.9% in the 3rd quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 402,716 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,053,000 after buying an additional 108,623 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Medina Value Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Orion by 245.3% in the 3rd quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC now owns 1,238,058 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,384,000 after buying an additional 879,479 shares during the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.