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

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

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of OEC. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Orion by 430.9% in the 4th 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 period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Orion by 321.8% in the second 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 grew its holdings in Orion by 690.0% in the fourth 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 purchased a new position in shares of Orion in the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Orion in the first quarter valued at $137,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.33% of the company’s stock.

Orion Stock Down 0.1%

OEC stock opened at $5.68 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $319.39 million, a PE ratio of -4.50 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a fifty day moving average of $6.10 and a 200-day moving average of $6.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.03. Orion has a one year low of $4.34 and a one year high of $14.28.

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 firm 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, analysts expect that Orion will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

Orion Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be given a dividend of $0.0207 per share. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Orion’s dividend payout ratio is presently -6.35%.

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.