Analysts Set Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) PT at $5.92

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Strong Sell” by the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and one has given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $5.9167.

A number of research firms have commented on OEC. Wall Street Zen upgraded Orion from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Orion from $7.00 to $7.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research lowered Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a report on Friday, July 17th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of OEC. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Orion by 26.4% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 9,925 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 2,072 shares during the period. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in Orion by 48.0% in the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 16,694 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $109,000 after buying an additional 5,418 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Orion by 91.2% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 248,838 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,617,000 after buying an additional 118,711 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Orion by 46.1% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 139,640 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $908,000 after acquiring an additional 44,029 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in Orion by 31.7% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 252,122 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,639,000 after acquiring an additional 60,692 shares during the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Orion Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:OEC opened at $6.74 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.00. Orion has a 52 week low of $4.34 and a 52 week high of $11.20. The firm has a market cap of $379.96 million, a PE ratio of -4.21 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $6.89 and its 200-day moving average is $6.56.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $459.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $434.31 million. Orion had a negative net margin of 4.98% and a positive return on equity of 2.23%. Sell-side analysts predict that Orion will post 0.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be given a $0.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Orion’s payout ratio is -5.00%.

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.