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

Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) have received an average rating of “Strong Sell” from the five research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and one has assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $5.5833.

OEC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Orion from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Orion from $4.50 to $5.25 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Orion from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Orion from $9.00 to $5.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 28th.

Orion Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE OEC opened at $5.68 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $6.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.72. The company has a market capitalization of $319.39 million, a PE ratio of -4.50 and a beta of 1.06. Orion has a 12-month low of $4.34 and a 12-month high of $14.28. 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 data on Tuesday, February 17th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.34) earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $365.79 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Orion will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Orion Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a $0.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Orion’s payout ratio is -6.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP increased its stake in Orion by 430.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,861 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 4,757 shares during the last quarter. Performa Ltd US LLC increased its stake in shares of Orion by 690.0% during the 4th quarter. Performa Ltd US LLC now owns 7,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 6,900 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Orion during the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in shares of Orion by 277.5% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Orion by 16.4% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,340 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,742 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.33% of the company’s stock.

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.