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

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) has received a consensus recommendation of “Strong Sell” from the five research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and one has issued a hold rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.9167.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on OEC shares. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Orion from $7.00 to $7.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Orion from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research lowered Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a report on Friday, July 17th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Orion by 10.7% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 283,138 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,661,000 after buying an additional 27,442 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Orion by 86.2% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 149,128 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,928,000 after buying an additional 69,054 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Orion by 3.3% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Orion during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $137,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Orion by 202.7% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 121,078 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,566,000 after acquiring an additional 81,079 shares during the period. 94.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Orion Stock Performance

NYSE:OEC opened at $6.72 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.00. Orion has a fifty-two week low of $4.34 and a fifty-two week high of $11.47. The firm has a market cap of $378.72 million, a PE ratio of -4.20 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $6.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.54.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.11) 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 firm had revenue of $459.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $434.31 million. Equities research analysts predict that Orion will post 0.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be given a dividend of $0.0207 per share. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. Orion’s payout ratio is presently -5.00%.

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.