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

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $12.08 and last traded at $12.59, with a volume of 579728 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reduced their target price on Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Orion from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Orion Stock Up 0.6 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $654.01 million, a PE ratio of 15.39 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $13.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.51.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.10. Orion had a return on equity of 20.94% and a net margin of 2.35%. The company had revenue of $434.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $437.03 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

Orion Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.0207 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Orion's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.67%.

Insider Transactions at Orion

In other Orion news, VP Carlos Quinones purchased 3,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $13.07 per share, with a total value of $43,131.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 79,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,705.14. This trade represents a 4.32 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Orion during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd grew its position in Orion by 1,578.7% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 4,415 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 4,152 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Orion during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $159,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Orion during the fourth quarter worth $171,000. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co purchased a new position in shares of Orion in the third quarter valued at $190,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.33% of the company's stock.

Orion Company Profile

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.