Orion (NYSE:OEC) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $13.32 and last traded at $13.53, with a volume of 704781 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

OEC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Orion from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $20.00 to $21.00 in a report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com downgraded Orion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th.

Orion Trading Down 2.4 %

The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $15.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $787.30 million, a PE ratio of 25.74 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.06). Orion had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 18.97%. The firm had revenue of $463.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $489.01 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Orion S.A. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Orion by 11.4% in the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,637 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 1,396 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Orion during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Orion by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 57,672 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $984,000 after purchasing an additional 1,775 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings in Orion by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 25,351 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 2,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Orion by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 79,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,250,000 after buying an additional 2,245 shares during the period. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.