Orion (NYSE:OEC) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Orion (NYSE:OEC) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on OEC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Orion from $9.00 to $5.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Orion from $4.50 to $5.25 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Orion from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and an average target price of $5.58.

Orion Stock Down 1.5%

OEC stock opened at $4.77 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $6.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $268.35 million, a P/E ratio of -3.78 and a beta of 1.05. Orion has a one year low of $4.34 and a one year high of $13.93.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $411.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $365.79 million. Orion had a positive return on equity of 6.52% and a negative net margin of 3.88%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Orion will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orion

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Orion by 2.6% during the third 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 lifted its stake in shares of Orion by 10.9% in the third quarter. Divisar Capital Management LLC now owns 2,450,414 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $18,574,000 after acquiring an additional 241,160 shares in the last quarter. Harvey Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Orion by 15.5% in the second quarter. Harvey Partners LLC now owns 2,424,995 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $25,438,000 after acquiring an additional 325,995 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Orion by 0.3% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,350,415 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $17,816,000 after purchasing an additional 7,045 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Orion by 6.9% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,138,131 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $16,207,000 after purchasing an additional 137,890 shares during 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.