Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Reaches New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $50.75 and last traded at $50.51, with a volume of 34224 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $50.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Oil-Dri Co. of America Price Performance

The company's 50-day moving average is $45.22 and its 200-day moving average is $40.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $743.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45 and a beta of 0.54.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 21.84%.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This is a boost from Oil-Dri Co. of America's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. Oil-Dri Co. of America's payout ratio is presently 19.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oil-Dri Co. of America

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 value of $148,785.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 11.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oil-Dri Co. of America

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 100.0% during the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 600 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management lifted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 100.0% in the first quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 600 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 98.0% in the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 891 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 100.0% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,160 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 580 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America in the 1st quarter valued at about $105,000. 49.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Company Profile

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.