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

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Strong Sell” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and two have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $5.9167.

Several brokerages have commented on OEC. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Orion from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho increased their target price on Orion from $4.50 to $5.25 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research raised shares of Orion from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Orion from $7.00 to $7.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th.

Orion Stock Performance

Orion stock opened at $6.71 on Monday. Orion has a 1-year low of $4.34 and a 1-year high of $12.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $7.04 and a 200-day moving average of $6.11. The firm has a market cap of $378.14 million, a P/E ratio of -4.19 and a beta of 0.97.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $459.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $434.31 million. Orion had a negative net margin of 4.98% and a positive return on equity of 2.23%. Sell-side analysts expect that Orion will post 0.1 EPS for the current year.

Orion Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.0207 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Orion’s payout ratio is -5.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orion

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Orion by 430.9% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,861 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 4,757 shares in the last quarter. Performa Ltd US LLC lifted its position in shares of Orion by 690.0% in the fourth quarter. Performa Ltd US LLC now owns 7,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 6,900 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Orion during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in Orion during the first quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 277.5% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 11,147 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 8,194 shares during the last quarter. 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.