Orion (NYSE:OEC) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $10.65 and last traded at $10.76, with a volume of 928478 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.57.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

OEC has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group decreased their price target on Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Orion from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st.

Orion Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.30. 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 company has a market cap of $662.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.59 and a beta of 1.25.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Orion had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 20.94%. The business had revenue of $434.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $437.03 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Orion Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.0207 per share. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. Orion's payout ratio is 10.67%.

Insider Activity at Orion

In other news, VP Carlos Quinones acquired 3,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.07 per share, for a total transaction of $43,131.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president now directly owns 79,702 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,705.14. This trade represents a 4.32 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Orion by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 32,760 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 1,164 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Orion in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Orion by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 57,672 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $984,000 after buying an additional 1,775 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Orion by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 35,294 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,954 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 2,138 shares during the period. 94.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.