Orion (NYSE:OEC) Trading Down 3.2% - Should You Sell?

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 3.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $12.24 and last traded at $12.24. Approximately 27,676 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 489,175 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

OEC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their price target on Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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 Performance

The company has a market cap of $646.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.11 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $434.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $437.03 million. Orion had a return on equity of 20.94% and a net margin of 2.35%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Orion Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a $0.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Orion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orion

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EVR Research LP acquired a new position in shares of Orion during the 4th quarter valued at $12,632,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Orion by 21.1% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 3,461,950 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $54,664,000 after purchasing an additional 602,080 shares during the last quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC bought a new stake in shares of Orion during the 4th quarter worth about $8,974,000. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC bought a new stake in Orion during the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,464,000. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP bought a new position in Orion in the 4th quarter worth $5,302,000. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.