Brokerages Set Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) PT at $5.58

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

OEC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research lowered Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Orion from $9.00 to $5.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Wall Street Zen raised Orion from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Orion from $4.50 to $5.25 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th.

Institutional Trading of Orion

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Orion by 2.6% in 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 during the last quarter. Divisar Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Orion by 10.9% during 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 purchasing an additional 241,160 shares during the last quarter. Harvey Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 325,995 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $17,816,000 after purchasing an additional 7,045 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 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 Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:OEC opened at $6.03 on Wednesday. Orion has a 12-month low of $4.34 and a 12-month high of $13.42. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $5.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.00. The firm has a market cap of $339.25 million, a PE ratio of -4.78 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $365.79 million. Orion had a negative net margin of 3.88% and a positive return on equity of 6.52%. Equities research analysts predict that Orion will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be given a $0.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Orion’s payout ratio is presently -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.