Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Short Interest Up 17.3% in May

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 132,800 shares, an increase of 17.3% from the April 30th total of 113,200 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 39,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Trading Up 7.8%

Oil-Dri Co. of America stock traded up $3.95 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $54.84. The stock had a trading volume of 83,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 41,027. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a twelve month low of $29.47 and a twelve month high of $55.88. 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 cap of $800.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.72 and a beta of 0.54. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $45.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.32.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $115.50 million during the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a return on equity of 21.84% and a net margin of 9.92%.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. This is a boost from Oil-Dri Co. of America's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Oil-Dri Co. of America's payout ratio is 19.81%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ellen-Blair Chube sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.51, for a total value of $148,785.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,820 shares in the company, valued at $502,468.20. This trade represents a 22.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 11.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oil-Dri Co. of America

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its position in 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 600 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 112,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $9,834,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 441 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. 49.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.