Citadel Advisors LLC Buys New Stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC)

Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,004 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $701,000. Citadel Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Oil-Dri Co. of America as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 146,239 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $12,816,000 after buying an additional 15,041 shares during the period. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $772,000. Forum Financial Management LP bought a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $571,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 238.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,116 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 5,715 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,793 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,348,000 after purchasing an additional 4,050 shares in the last quarter. 49.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded Oil-Dri Co. of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ellen-Blair Chube sold 3,500 shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.51, for a total transaction of $148,785.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $502,468.20. The trade was a 22.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 11.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Stock Performance

NYSE:ODC traded up $0.21 on Tuesday, hitting $50.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 14,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 40,802. The firm has a market capitalization of $738.65 million, a P/E ratio of 16.35 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a one year low of $29.47 and a one year high of $50.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $45.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.95.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a return on equity of 21.84% and a net margin of 9.92%. The business had revenue of $116.91 million during the quarter.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a dividend of $0.155 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. Oil-Dri Co. of America's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.81%.

About Oil-Dri Co. 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.