210,583 Shares in Orion S.A. $OEC Acquired by Nuveen LLC

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has acquired a new position in Orion S.A., investing approximately $2.72 million for 210,583 shares during the first quarter, representing 0.37% ownership.
• Several hedge funds have significantly increased their stakes in Orion, with Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raising its position by 1,256% during the same period.
• Orion's latest earnings report showed a net margin of 0.82% and a decline in revenue, missing analysts' estimates, and the company has recently announced an interim dividend with a yield of 80.0%.

Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 210,583 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $2,723,000. Nuveen LLC owned 0.37% of Orion at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Orion by 0.5% in the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 3,328,902 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $43,043,000 after purchasing an additional 16,612 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its position in Orion by 0.8% during the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,638,320 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $34,113,000 after buying an additional 21,033 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Orion by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,186,942 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $34,529,000 after purchasing an additional 233,342 shares during the period. Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Orion by 1.3% during the first quarter. Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group LLC now owns 1,946,739 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $25,171,000 after purchasing an additional 24,041 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Orion by 1.3% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,714,253 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $22,165,000 after purchasing an additional 21,954 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.33% of the company's stock.

Orion Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of OEC traded down $0.20 on Wednesday, hitting $10.21. 22,486 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 595,526. The company has a market capitalization of $573.29 million, a PE ratio of 37.81 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.10. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.61. Orion S.A. has a one year low of $9.03 and a one year high of $19.48.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $466.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $475.77 million. Orion had a net margin of 0.82% and a return on equity of 16.67%. Orion's revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Orion Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a interim dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 8th. Investors of record on Monday, July 7th will be issued a $0.0207 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. This represents a yield of 80.0%. Orion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on OEC shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Orion to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Orion from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $9.00 price target (down from $10.00) on shares of Orion in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Orion from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Orion presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $12.00.

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.