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

Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) have received a consensus recommendation of “Strong Sell” from the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and one has given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.5833.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on OEC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Orion from $9.00 to $5.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Mizuho upped 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Orion from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of OEC. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Orion by 430.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,861 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 4,757 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Orion by 321.8% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,382 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 5,632 shares during the last quarter. Performa Ltd US LLC raised its stake in Orion by 690.0% during the 4th quarter. Performa Ltd US LLC now owns 7,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 6,900 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Orion in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Orion in the 1st quarter worth $137,000. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Orion Stock Up 5.9%

Shares of Orion stock opened at $5.52 on Wednesday. Orion has a 12-month low of $4.34 and a 12-month high of $13.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $5.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $310.39 million, a P/E ratio of -4.38 and a beta of 1.05.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last released its quarterly 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). Orion had a negative net margin of 3.88% and a positive return on equity of 6.52%. The firm had revenue of $411.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $365.79 million. Equities analysts expect that Orion will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.5%. Orion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -6.35%.

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.