Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC)’s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $25.99 and traded as high as $44.50. Oil-Dri Co. of America shares last traded at $43.60, with a volume of 19,164 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut Oil-Dri Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $640.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $42.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.11.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) last announced its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a return on equity of 21.84% and a net margin of 9.92%.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.155 dividend. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Oil-Dri Co. of America’s payout ratio is 20.00%.

Insider Transactions at Oil-Dri Co. of America

In related news, VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total value of $134,833.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 70,796 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,026,529. The trade was a 4.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Amy Ryan sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.78, for a total value of $87,738.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $162,942. This represents a 35.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 11.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Oil-Dri Co. of America

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 81.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 445 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 12.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 37,041 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,555,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 112,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,834,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.01% of the company’s stock.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Company Profile

Oil-Dri Corporation of America is a manufacturer and supplier of specialty sorbent products for the pet care, animal health and nutrition, fluids purification, agricultural ingredients, sports field, industrial and automotive markets. It operates through the Business to Business Products Group and Retail and Wholesale Products Group segments.