Rhumbline Advisers Boosts Stock Position in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 79,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,245 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.14% of Orion worth $1,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Orion by 11.4% in the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,637 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,396 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Orion in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Orion by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 57,672 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $984,000 after buying an additional 1,775 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Orion by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 25,351 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 2,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Orion by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 23,911 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $378,000 after buying an additional 3,646 shares during the period. 94.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Orion Price Performance

OEC stock opened at $13.52 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $765.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.03 and a beta of 1.50. Orion S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $12.56 and a fifty-two week high of $26.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $14.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.21.

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

Orion Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.0207 per share. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. Orion’s payout ratio is 10.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on OEC shares. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of 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 price objective on shares of Orion from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st.

About Orion

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.