North Star Investment Management Corp. Cuts Holdings in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America $ODC

Key Points

• North Star Investment Management cut its stake in Oil‑Dri (NYSE:ODC) by 29.1% in Q4, selling 19,000 shares and finishing the quarter with 46,400 shares (~0.32% of the company) worth $2.27 million.
• Oil‑Dri declared a quarterly dividend of $0.205 per share (annualized $0.82) with an ex‑dividend date of May 8 and payment on May 22, implying a yield of about 1.1%.
• Insiders have been selling recently—Director Ellen‑Blair Chube sold 1,390 shares at $73.06 and Director Paul Hindsley sold 6,000 shares at $63.90—leaving insiders with roughly 11.69% ownership.

North Star Investment Management Corp. cut its stake in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America (NYSE:ODC - Free Report) by 29.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 46,400 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 19,000 shares during the quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. owned about 0.32% of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America worth $2,271,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ODC. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America by 57.4% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 502 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America in the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America by 20.1% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,062 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America in the third quarter worth $67,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co purchased a new position in shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America during the third quarter worth $96,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ODC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of ODC traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $72.31. The company had a trading volume of 3,418 shares, compared to its average volume of 65,652. Oil-Dri Corporation Of America has a fifty-two week low of $41.50 and a fifty-two week high of $75.41. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.74. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. Oil-Dri Corporation Of America's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Insider Activity at Oil-Dri Corporation Of America

In other Oil-Dri Corporation Of America news, Director Ellen-Blair Chube sold 1,390 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.06, for a total value of $101,553.40. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $652,425.80. This trade represents a 13.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul Hindsley sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.90, for a total transaction of $383,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $702,900. This trade represents a 35.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 11.69% of the company's stock.

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America Company Profile

Oil-Dri Corporation of America is a specialty materials company that develops, manufactures and markets sorbent and filtration products for industrial, environmental and consumer applications. Its flagship offerings include clay- and diatomaceous earth–based cat litters, calcium silicate absorbents for spill control and cleanup, and purification media designed to remove contaminants from petroleum, chemical and food-processing streams.

Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the company has evolved from a single-product operation into a diversified provider of mineral- and chemical-based solutions.

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