Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) Short Interest Up 40.3% in January

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,181,956 shares, a growth of 40.3% from the January 15th total of 842,698 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 631,965 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 631,965 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Orion Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of Orion stock opened at $7.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08. Orion has a 52-week low of $4.34 and a 52-week high of $16.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $399.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.27 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $5.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.97.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orion

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of OEC. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Orion by 10.7% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 283,138 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,661,000 after purchasing an additional 27,442 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Orion by 86.2% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 149,128 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,928,000 after purchasing an additional 69,054 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Orion by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 33,857 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $438,000 after buying an additional 1,097 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Orion in the 1st quarter worth approximately $137,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Orion by 202.7% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 121,078 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,566,000 after buying an additional 81,079 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

OEC has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Orion from $9.00 to $5.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 28th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Orion from $5.50 to $6.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Mizuho set a $6.00 target price on shares of Orion in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Orion from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and an average price target of $5.67.

Orion Company Profile

Orion Engineered Carbons SA, operating as Orion (NYSE: OEC), is a global producer of carbon black, a critical performance additive used to enhance the strength, durability and conductivity of various materials. The company’s products chiefly serve the tire and rubber industry, where carbon black imparts wear resistance and longevity, as well as the plastics, coatings, inks and battery components markets, where specialty grades deliver tailored conductivity and color properties.

Orion’s product portfolio is organized into two core segments: Rubber and Specialty and Chemical Specialties.