Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC Invests $230,000 in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America (NYSE:ODC)

Key Points

• Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired 5,000 shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America, valued at approximately $230,000, marking a new position for the firm in the specialty chemicals sector.
• Several institutional investors, including Royce & Associates LP and Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc., recently increased their stakes in Oil-Dri Corporation, indicating growing confidence in the company.
• Oil-Dri Corporation has declared a quarterly dividend increase to $0.18 per share, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders, with the ex-dividend date set for August 8th.

Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America (NYSE:ODC - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 5,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $230,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its holdings in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 600 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America by 98.0% during the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 891 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America by 9,083.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,755 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 2,725 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America during the 1st quarter valued at about $131,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 4,082 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $187,000 after purchasing an additional 2,041 shares during the period. 49.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ellen-Blair Chube sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.83, for a total transaction of $139,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,320 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $520,335.60. This represents a 21.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Amy Ryan sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.62, for a total value of $60,620.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $175,798. The trade was a 25.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $354,570. 11.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:ODC traded up $1.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $57.83. The stock had a trading volume of 69,058 shares, compared to its average volume of 68,830. The firm has a market cap of $846.63 million, a PE ratio of 17.01 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Oil-Dri Corporation Of America has a twelve month low of $31.11 and a twelve month high of $63.82.

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $115.50 million for the quarter. Oil-Dri Corporation Of America had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 21.57%.

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This is a positive change from Oil-Dri Corporation Of America's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Oil-Dri Corporation Of America's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.24%.

About Oil-Dri Corporation Of America

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.