Lazard Asset Management LLC Buys 2,654 Shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC)

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) by 29.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,760 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,654 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America were worth $1,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royce & Associates LP lifted its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 2.5% during the 4th 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. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $12,816,000 after acquiring an additional 15,041 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 112,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,834,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 53,629 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,700,000 after acquiring an additional 1,315 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,793 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,348,000 after acquiring an additional 4,050 shares during the last quarter. 49.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oil-Dri Co. of America

In other Oil-Dri Co. of America news, Director Ellen-Blair Chube sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.51, for a total value of $148,785.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $502,468.20. The trade was a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 11.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Stock Performance

Oil-Dri Co. of America stock opened at $48.40 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market capitalization of $706.40 million, a PE ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.78. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a twelve month low of $29.47 and a twelve month high of $49.72.

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

Oil-Dri Co. of America Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $0.155 dividend. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Oil-Dri Co. of America’s payout ratio is 19.81%.

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.