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

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) has been given a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” by the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $6.0833.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Orion from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research raised Orion from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Orion from $7.50 to $8.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Orion by 3.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 33,857 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Orion by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 30,641 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 1,680 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Orion by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,340 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,742 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Orion by 26.4% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 9,925 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 2,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in Orion by 70.7% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 5,125 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 2,122 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.33% of the company’s stock.

Orion Stock Performance

NYSE:OEC opened at $6.16 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $348.16 million, a P/E ratio of -3.56 and a beta of 1.00. Orion has a twelve month low of $4.34 and a twelve month high of $10.85. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $6.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $500.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $474.43 million. Orion had a negative net margin of 5.28% and a negative return on equity of 0.31%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Orion will post 0.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Orion Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be issued a $0.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Orion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -4.62%.

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.