Quantbot Technologies LP Sells 19,628 Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

Quantbot Technologies LP reduced its stake in shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Free Report) by 77.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,693 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 19,628 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in Orion were worth $90,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of OEC. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Orion by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 3,461,950 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $54,664,000 after buying an additional 602,080 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Orion by 414.7% in the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 193,126 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 period. Boston Partners grew its holdings in shares of Orion by 25.3% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 912,652 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $14,265,000 after purchasing an additional 184,139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvey Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Orion by 9.5% during the third quarter. Harvey Partners LLC now owns 1,696,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $30,206,000 after purchasing an additional 146,500 shares during the period. 94.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Orion Price Performance

Orion stock traded down $0.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $11.35. 465,217 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 494,970. Orion S.A. has a 1-year low of $10.88 and a 1-year high of $26.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average of $13.80 and a 200 day moving average of $15.61. The company has a market capitalization of $643.19 million, a PE ratio of 15.18 and a beta of 1.25.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $434.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $437.03 million. Orion had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 20.94%. 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.0207 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. Orion's dividend payout ratio is 10.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

OEC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 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 research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Orion

In related news, VP Carlos Quinones purchased 3,300 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 79,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,041,705.14. This trade represents a 4.32 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

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.