Orion (NYSE:OEC) Upgraded to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Orion (NYSE:OEC) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Sunday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Orion from $9.00 to $5.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 28th. Mizuho upped their target price on Orion from $4.50 to $5.25 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Orion from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and an average price target of $5.58.

Orion Stock Down 6.3%

OEC stock opened at $4.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $278.82 million, a PE ratio of -3.93 and a beta of 1.05. Orion has a 12 month low of $4.34 and a 12 month high of $14.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.52.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of OEC. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Orion by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 4,694,825 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $35,587,000 after acquiring an additional 117,628 shares in the last quarter. Divisar Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Orion by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. Divisar Capital Management LLC now owns 2,450,414 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $18,574,000 after buying an additional 241,160 shares during the period. Harvey Partners LLC increased its stake in Orion by 15.5% in the 2nd quarter. Harvey Partners LLC now owns 2,424,995 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $25,438,000 after buying an additional 325,995 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Orion by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,350,415 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $17,816,000 after buying an additional 7,045 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Orion by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,138,131 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $16,207,000 after buying an additional 137,890 shares in the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.