Foundry Partners LLC Purchases 62,948 Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

Foundry Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Free Report) by 24.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 322,380 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 62,948 shares during the quarter. Foundry Partners LLC owned about 0.56% of Orion worth $5,090,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in OEC. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 21.1% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 3,461,950 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $54,664,000 after buying an additional 602,080 shares in the last quarter. Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Orion by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group LLC now owns 1,922,698 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $30,359,000 after buying an additional 320,157 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Orion by 414.7% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 239,693 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,785,000 after buying an additional 193,126 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Orion by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,747,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $27,588,000 after buying an additional 188,131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Orion by 583.7% in the 4th quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 220,184 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $3,477,000 after acquiring an additional 187,977 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.33% of the company's stock.

Orion Price Performance

Shares of OEC stock traded down $1.02 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $11.06. 174,639 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 503,408. The company has a market capitalization of $626.54 million, a PE ratio of 14.86 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. Orion S.A. has a 12-month low of $10.50 and a 12-month high of $26.05. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $13.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.39.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.10. Orion had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 20.94%. The business had revenue of $434.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $437.03 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a $0.0207 dividend. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. Orion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.67%.

Insider Activity at Orion

In other news, VP Carlos Quinones acquired 3,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the acquisition, the vice president now owns 79,702 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,705.14. This trade represents a 4.32 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

OEC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group cut their price objective 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 price target 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 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.