Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Sees Large Volume Increase - Here's What Happened

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 19,164 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 32% from the previous session's volume of 28,212 shares.The stock last traded at $43.62 and had previously closed at $44.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Oil-Dri Co. of America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Stock Down 0.3 %

The business has a fifty day moving average of $42.94 and a 200 day moving average of $26.85. The firm has a market cap of $653.94 million, a P/E ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a return on equity of 21.84% and a net margin of 9.92%.

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Oil-Dri Co. of America Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.155 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Oil-Dri Co. of America's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.00%.

Insider Transactions at Oil-Dri Co. of America

In other news, VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total transaction of $134,833.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 70,796 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,026,529. This represents a 4.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Amy Ryan sold 2,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.78, for a total value of $87,738.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at $162,942. This represents a 35.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 11.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new position in Oil-Dri Co. of America during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $571,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 13,546 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,187,000 after purchasing an additional 924 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP acquired a new position in Oil-Dri Co. of America during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new position in Oil-Dri Co. of America during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $522,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 132,412 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $11,605,000 after purchasing an additional 7,606 shares during the last quarter. 49.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Oil-Dri Co. of America

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.