Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Decreases Stake in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its holdings in shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) by 42.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 43,602 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 32,265 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.08% of Orion worth $688,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Orion during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Orion by 3.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 57,672 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $984,000 after purchasing an additional 1,775 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in Orion by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 25,351 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 2,138 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in Orion by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 79,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,250,000 after buying an additional 2,245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 23,911 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 3,646 shares during the period. 94.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Carlos Quinones purchased 3,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $13.07 per share, for a total transaction of $43,131.00. Following the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 79,702 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,705.14. This trade represents a 4.32 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Orion Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE OEC opened at $12.59 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $713.27 million, a PE ratio of 16.79 and a beta of 1.25. Orion S.A. has a 1 year low of $12.08 and a 1 year high of $26.05. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $13.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.10. Orion had a return on equity of 20.94% and a net margin of 2.35%. The business had revenue of $434.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $437.03 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Orion Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. Orion’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on OEC. UBS Group cut their price objective on Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Orion from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Orion Company Profile

Orion SA, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of carbon black products. It operates in two segments, Specialty Carbon Black and Rubber Carbon Black. The company offers post-treated specialty carbon black grades for coatings and printing applications; high purity carbon black grades for the fiber industry; and conductive carbon black grades for batteries, polymers, and coatings.