LSV Asset Management Buys 28,000 Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Free Report) by 15.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 211,400 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,000 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management owned 0.37% of Orion worth $3,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of OEC. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Orion during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Orion by 3.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 57,672 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $984,000 after acquiring an additional 1,775 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised 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 worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 2,138 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Orion by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 79,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Orion by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 23,911 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $378,000 after purchasing an additional 3,646 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.33% of the company's stock.

Orion Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of OEC traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $11.89. The stock had a trading volume of 445,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 507,126. The company has a market capitalization of $673.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Orion S.A. has a 12 month low of $10.50 and a 12 month high of $26.05.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.10. Orion had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 20.94%. The firm had revenue of $434.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $437.03 million. Equities research 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 announced 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 0.70%. Orion's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.67%.

Insider Activity at Orion

In related news, VP Carlos Quinones acquired 3,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $13.07 per share, for a total transaction of $43,131.00. Following the purchase, the vice president now owns 79,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,705.14. The trade was a 4.32 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.