StockNews.com Downgrades Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) to Hold

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Stock Performance

ODC opened at $43.48 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $634.53 million, a P/E ratio of 14.05 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $44.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.50. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a 1 year low of $29.47 and a 1 year high of $49.72.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 21.84%. The business had revenue of $116.91 million for the quarter.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Amy Ryan sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.78, for a total value of $87,738.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $162,942. This trade represents a 35.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total value of $134,833.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 70,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,026,529. The trade was a 4.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 11.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Needham Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 280,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $24,539,000 after buying an additional 12,500 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 166,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $14,548,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 146,239 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $12,816,000 after acquiring an additional 15,041 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 132,412 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $11,605,000 after acquiring an additional 7,606 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 112,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,834,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. 49.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Company Profile

Oil-Dri Corporation of America is a manufacturer and supplier of specialty sorbent products for the pet care, animal health and nutrition, fluids purification, agricultural ingredients, sports field, industrial and automotive markets. It operates through the Business to Business Products Group and Retail and Wholesale Products Group segments.