Orion (NYSE:OEC) Sets New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $12.08 and last traded at $12.59, with a volume of 579728 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on OEC shares. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Orion from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st.

Orion Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $713.27 million, a PE ratio of 16.79 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.63.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.10. Orion had a return on equity of 20.94% and a net margin of 2.35%. The business had revenue of $434.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $437.03 million. Research analysts forecast that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.0207 dividend. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. Orion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Orion

In related news, VP Carlos Quinones acquired 3,300 shares of Orion stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $13.07 per share, with a total value of $43,131.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 79,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,705.14. This represents a 4.32 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of OEC. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Orion during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Orion by 1,578.7% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 4,415 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 4,152 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Orion by 1,112.9% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 8,624 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 7,913 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Orion during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $159,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Orion in the 4th quarter worth approximately $171,000. 94.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Orion

Orion SA, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of carbon black products. It operates in two segments, Specialty Carbon Black and Rubber Carbon Black. The company offers post-treated specialty carbon black grades for coatings and printing applications; high purity carbon black grades for the fiber industry; and conductive carbon black grades for batteries, polymers, and coatings.