Orion (NYSE:OEC) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Orion (NYSE:OEC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on OEC. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Orion from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research cut Orion from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Orion from $4.50 to $5.25 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Orion currently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus target price of $5.58.

Orion Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:OEC opened at $6.57 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $5.94 and its 200-day moving average is $5.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. Orion has a 12 month low of $4.34 and a 12 month high of $12.84. The firm has a market cap of $369.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.22 and a beta of 0.90.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.34) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.26). Orion had a positive return on equity of 6.52% and a negative net margin of 3.88%.The firm had revenue of $411.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $365.79 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Orion will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

Orion Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be given a $0.0207 dividend. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. Orion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -6.35%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in OEC. Medina Value Partners LLC grew its position in Orion by 245.3% during the third quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC now owns 1,238,058 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,384,000 after buying an additional 879,479 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Orion by 361.3% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 874,279 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,616,000 after acquiring an additional 684,749 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in Orion by 190.0% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 582,141 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,413,000 after acquiring an additional 381,388 shares in the last quarter. CastleKnight Management LP raised its holdings in Orion by 376.2% in the 4th quarter. CastleKnight Management LP now owns 471,941 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,492,000 after acquiring an additional 372,841 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Orion in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,910,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.33% of the company’s stock.

About Orion

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.