Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Shares Down 3.2% - Should You Sell?

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) was down 3.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $56.96 and last traded at $56.47. Approximately 7,665 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 40,969 shares. The stock had previously closed at $58.31.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded 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 has a current ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $841.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63 and a beta of 0.62. The company's 50 day moving average is $46.29 and its 200-day moving average is $41.43.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. This is an increase from Oil-Dri Co. of America's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Oil-Dri Co. of America's payout ratio is currently 21.18%.

Insider Activity at Oil-Dri Co. of America

In other news, Director Ellen-Blair Chube sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 11,820 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $502,468.20. This represents a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 11.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 99.3% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 799,112 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $36,695,000 after buying an additional 398,056 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 119.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 612,195 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $28,112,000 after acquiring an additional 333,053 shares in the last quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 100.5% in the 1st quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 561,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $25,784,000 after acquiring an additional 281,500 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 102.4% in the 1st quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 336,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $15,429,000 after purchasing an additional 170,000 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 126.4% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 331,083 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $15,203,000 after purchasing an additional 184,844 shares in the last quarter. 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.