Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) Shares Sold by Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. lessened its stake in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Free Report) by 55.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 94,303 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 116,045 shares during the period. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. owned about 0.16% of Orion worth $1,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in OEC. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Orion during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd increased its stake in Orion by 1,578.7% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 4,415 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 4,152 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 7,913 shares in the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co purchased a new position in Orion in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $190,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.33% of the company's stock.

Orion Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Orion stock traded up $0.26 during trading on Monday, hitting $13.71. 401,567 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 476,445. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $14.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.82. The stock has a market cap of $776.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.27 and a beta of 1.52. Orion S.A. has a 12-month low of $12.51 and a 12-month high of $26.05.

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Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $434.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $437.03 million. As a group, analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.60%. Orion's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Orion

In related news, VP Carlos Quinones bought 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $13.07 per share, for a total transaction of $43,131.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president now owns 79,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,705.14. This represents a 4.32 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Orion 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.