EVR Research LP Acquires Shares of 800,000 Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

EVR Research LP bought a new position in shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 800,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $12,632,000. Orion accounts for approximately 4.2% of EVR Research LP's holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. EVR Research LP owned approximately 1.39% of Orion as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in OEC. LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 211,400 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 28,000 shares in the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new stake in Orion during the 4th quarter worth about $5,302,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Orion during the 4th quarter worth about $1,531,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Orion by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,692,299 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $26,721,000 after acquiring an additional 46,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Orion by 35.9% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 62,039 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $980,000 after buying an additional 16,383 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Orion from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group lowered their price target on Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th.

Orion Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of Orion stock traded up $0.25 on Thursday, reaching $11.97. 191,794 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 504,491. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.24. Orion S.A. has a 52 week low of $10.50 and a 52 week high of $26.05. The firm's 50-day moving average is $13.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.21. The company has a market capitalization of $677.87 million, a P/E ratio of 15.95 and a beta of 1.25.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.10. The company 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Orion Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Orion's payout ratio is 10.67%.

Insider Activity at Orion

In other Orion news, VP Carlos Quinones bought 3,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,041,705.14. The trade was a 4.32 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Orion 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.