Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Short Interest Up 85.0% in January

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 144,300 shares, an increase of 85.0% from the December 31st total of 78,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 41,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.5 days.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ODC traded up $0.38 on Tuesday, reaching $42.35. 9,117 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 30,706. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a fifty-two week low of $29.47 and a fifty-two week high of $46.50. The company's 50 day moving average is $33.40 and its 200-day moving average is $22.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $618.31 million, a PE ratio of 13.68 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 1.61.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a return on equity of 21.84% and a net margin of 9.92%.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.155 dividend. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Oil-Dri Co. of America's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Oil-Dri Co. of America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Amy Ryan sold 2,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.78, for a total value of $87,738.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at $162,942. The trade was a 35.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total value of $134,833.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 70,796 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,026,529. This trade represents a 4.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 11.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oil-Dri Co. of America

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 81.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 445 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 12.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $166,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America during the third quarter valued at about $216,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 30.2% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,253 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 986 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 40.8% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 4,772 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 1,383 shares during the period. 49.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Company Profile

Oil-Dri Corporation of America is a manufacturer and supplier of specialty sorbent products for the pet care, animal health and nutrition, fluids purification, agricultural ingredients, sports field, industrial and automotive markets. It operates through the Business to Business Products Group and Retail and Wholesale Products Group segments.