Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) Stock Has Average Price Target of $5.58

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is highly negative: Orion has an average “Strong Sell” rating, with three sell recommendations and two holds. The average 12-month price target is $5.58, below the stock’s recent $5.78 price.
• Quarterly results were mixed: Orion reported $0.14 in earnings per share, missing estimates of $0.16, while revenue of $500.9 million exceeded the $474.4 million consensus forecast. The company posted a negative net margin of 5.28%.
• Institutional ownership remains high: Institutional investors hold 94.33% of Orion’s shares, while several hedge funds recently initiated small positions. Orion also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.0207 per share, implying a 1.4% annual yield.

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Strong Sell" from the five research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and two have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $5.58.

Several research firms have recently commented on OEC. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Orion in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Orion from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 9th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Orion from $8.00 to $6.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Orion from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orion

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in Orion in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Orion in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Orion in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Orion during the 1st quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Orion during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,000. Institutional investors own 94.33% of the company's stock.

Orion Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE OEC opened at $5.78 on Friday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $6.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.61. The company has a market cap of $326.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.34 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72. Orion has a 12-month low of $4.34 and a 12-month high of $8.64.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.02). Orion had a negative net margin of 5.28% and a negative return on equity of 0.31%. The company had revenue of $500.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $474.43 million. On average, research analysts expect that Orion will post 0.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Orion Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.0207 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Orion's payout ratio is presently -4.62%.

About Orion

Orion SA NYSE: OEC is a specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures and sells carbon-based products. Its portfolio includes specialty and high-performance carbon black, conductive additives and other engineered materials used in applications such as coatings, plastics, inks, adhesives, batteries, tires and rubber products.

The company serves customers across a range of industries, including automotive, transportation, construction, electronics, energy storage and consumer products.

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