Oil-Dri Corporation Of America (NYSE:ODC) Shares Bought by North Star Investment Management Corp.

North Star Investment Management Corp. boosted its position in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America (NYSE:ODC - Free Report) by 50.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 73,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,700 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. owned approximately 0.51% of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America worth $3,393,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America by 9,083.3% in 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 during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America in the first quarter worth about $131,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America by 973.1% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,157 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $189,000 after acquiring an additional 1,956 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC purchased a new position in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America during the 4th quarter valued at about $222,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new stake in shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America in the 4th quarter valued at about $228,000. 49.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ellen-Blair Chube sold 3,500 shares of Oil-Dri Corporation 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,820 shares in the company, valued at approximately $502,468.20. The trade was a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 11.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of ODC traded down $1.57 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $56.31. The company had a trading volume of 68,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 41,498. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market capitalization of $824.38 million, a PE ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 0.62. Oil-Dri Corporation Of America has a one year low of $29.47 and a one year high of $60.32. The company's fifty day moving average price is $47.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.70.

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) last released 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This is a boost from Oil-Dri Corporation Of America's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. Oil-Dri Corporation Of America's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday.

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.