Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) Stake Lifted by Divisar Capital Management LLC

Divisar Capital Management LLC grew its position in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Free Report) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,223,324 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 80,000 shares during the quarter. Orion accounts for 4.2% of Divisar Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Divisar Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.12% of Orion worth $19,316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Orion during the 4th quarter worth $171,000. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in Orion during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in Orion during the fourth quarter worth $211,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Orion in the 4th quarter valued at $259,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Orion by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 22,577 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $357,000 after buying an additional 3,630 shares during the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Orion news, VP Carlos Quinones purchased 3,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $13.07 per share, for a total transaction of $43,131.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on OEC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Orion from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th.

Orion Price Performance

NYSE OEC traded down $0.44 on Tuesday, hitting $11.57. The company had a trading volume of 247,607 shares, compared to its average volume of 507,985. The company's fifty day moving average price is $12.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.72. Orion S.A. has a 12-month low of $10.45 and a 12-month high of $26.05. The company has a market capitalization of $651.44 million, a PE ratio of 15.44 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.10. Orion had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 20.94%. The business had revenue of $434.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $437.03 million. As a group, analysts predict that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 11th will be issued a $0.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 11th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Orion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.67%.

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.