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

Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) have been given an average recommendation of “Strong Sell” by the five brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings 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 target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.5833.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Orion from $4.50 to $5.25 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Orion from $9.00 to $5.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 28th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Orion from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd.

Orion Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:OEC opened at $5.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $310.39 million, a PE ratio of -4.38 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. Orion has a 1-year low of $4.34 and a 1-year high of $13.81. The business’s 50 day moving average is $5.94 and its 200-day moving average is $6.03.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.34) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.26). The firm had revenue of $411.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $365.79 million. Orion had a negative net margin of 3.88% and a positive return on equity of 6.52%. Sell-side analysts predict that Orion will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Orion

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Orion by 3.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 33,857 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $438,000 after acquiring an additional 1,097 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 30,641 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $162,000 after acquiring an additional 1,680 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 16.4% during the fourth 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 period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its stake in shares of Orion by 18.2% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 13,687 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 2,112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Orion by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 85,855 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $901,000 after purchasing an additional 2,344 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.33% of the company’s stock.

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.