96,973 Shares in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) Purchased by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 96,973 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $1,531,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.17% of Orion as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Orion by 414.7% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 239,693 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $3,785,000 after buying an additional 193,126 shares during the last quarter. Harvey Partners LLC grew its position in Orion by 9.5% in the third quarter. Harvey Partners LLC now owns 1,696,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $30,206,000 after acquiring an additional 146,500 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Orion by 148.2% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 151,205 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,693,000 after purchasing an additional 90,292 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Orion by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 960,349 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $15,164,000 after purchasing an additional 85,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Secured Retirement Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Orion in the 4th quarter valued at $1,212,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.33% of the company's stock.

Orion Stock Performance

OEC stock traded down $0.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $11.47. 1,000,096 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 498,096. The firm has a market capitalization of $650.05 million, a PE ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $13.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.55. Orion S.A. has a 52 week low of $10.87 and a 52 week 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.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 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 analyst estimates of $437.03 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Orion Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.0207 per share. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. Orion's payout ratio is currently 10.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Orion

In other news, VP Carlos Quinones purchased 3,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $13.07 per share, with a total value of $43,131.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president now directly owns 79,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,705.14. The trade was a 4.32 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

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.