Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Shares Cross Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $68.29 and traded as high as $87.31. Oil-Dri Co. of America shares last traded at $87.28, with a volume of 11,586 shares changing hands.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Trading Up 1.5 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $646.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.32 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $73.74 and a 200 day moving average of $68.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Oil-Dri Co. of America shares are scheduled to split on Monday, January 6th. The 2-1 split was announced on Thursday, December 12th. The newly minted shares will be issued to shareholders after the market closes on Friday, January 3rd.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 10th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $113.70 million during the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a return on equity of 21.84% and a net margin of 9.92%.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Oil-Dri Co. of America's payout ratio is 10.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Laura G. Scheland sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.27, for a total transaction of $173,175.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 15,340 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,601.80. The trade was a 14.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 11.66% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oil-Dri Co. of America

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ODC. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 81.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 445 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America during the third quarter worth approximately $216,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 30.2% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,253 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 986 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 40.8% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 4,772 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 1,383 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.01% of the company's stock.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Company Profile

Oil-Dri Corporation of America, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets sorbent products in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Retail and Wholesale Products Group, and Business to Business Products Group. The company provides agricultural and horticultural products, including mineral-based absorbent products that serve as carriers for biological and chemical active ingredients, drying agents, and growing media under the Agsorb, Verge, and Flo-Fre brand names.