Boston Partners Raises Stock Position in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

Boston Partners increased its position in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Free Report) by 25.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 912,652 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 184,139 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned 1.58% of Orion worth $14,265,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Orion in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 4,152 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its position in Orion by 1,112.9% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 8,624 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 7,913 shares during the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co bought a new position in Orion during the 3rd quarter worth $190,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Orion during the 3rd quarter worth about $280,000. Institutional investors own 94.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on OEC. 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 lowered 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 Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of Orion stock traded down $0.29 on Tuesday, hitting $13.41. 275,676 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 476,396. The company has a market capitalization of $759.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.88 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a fifty day moving average of $14.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.79. 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 S.A. has a one year low of $12.51 and a one year high of $26.05.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $434.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $437.03 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a $0.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Orion's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.67%.

Insider Activity at Orion

In other Orion news, VP Carlos Quinones bought 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,705.14. The trade was a 4.32 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.