Orion (NYSE:OEC) Sets New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $14.94 and last traded at $15.00, with a volume of 14368 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $15.18.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Orion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Orion from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th.

Orion Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $894.03 million, a PE ratio of 11.61 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.41.

Orion Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a $0.021 dividend. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. This is a boost from Orion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.02. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Orion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Corning F. Painter acquired 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.48 per share, with a total value of $349,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 948,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,584,604.48. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Orion news, CFO Jeffrey Glajch bought 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $18.16 per share, with a total value of $272,400.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 101,855 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,849,686.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Corning F. Painter acquired 20,000 shares of Orion stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $17.48 per share, for a total transaction of $349,600.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 948,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,584,604.48. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have bought 47,500 shares of company stock valued at $845,225. Insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Orion

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Orion by 315.3% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 54,494 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,282,000 after acquiring an additional 41,372 shares during the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Orion by 94.9% in the 1st quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 270,832 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $6,370,000 after purchasing an additional 131,902 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Orion by 51.8% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 67,503 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,588,000 after purchasing an additional 23,026 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Orion by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,807,942 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $42,523,000 after purchasing an additional 77,952 shares during the period. Finally, Divisar Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Orion by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Divisar Capital Management LLC now owns 805,082 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $17,663,000 after purchasing an additional 55,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.33% of the company's stock.

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.