Oil-Dri Corporation Of America (NYSE:ODC) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Oil‑Dri (NYSE:ODC) from a "hold" to a "buy," and Weiss Ratings also reaffirmed a "buy (b−)"—the stock's consensus rating on MarketBeat is now "Buy."
• Shares opened at $73.90 and were trading up about 3.3%; the company has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a P/E of 20.03, and a 52‑week range of $41.37 to $74.38.
• Two directors recently sold shares (Ellen‑Blair Chube sold 1,390 at $73.06; Paul Hindsley sold 6,000 at $63.90), reducing their stakes; insiders own 11.69% of the stock while institutional investors hold roughly 49%.

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America (NYSE:ODC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America in a report on Friday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy".

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America stock opened at $73.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.40, a current ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.03 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.50. Oil-Dri Corporation Of America has a fifty-two week low of $41.37 and a fifty-two week high of $74.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oil-Dri Corporation Of America

In other news, Director Ellen-Blair Chube sold 1,390 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.06, for a total transaction of $101,553.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $652,425.80. This represents a 13.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Paul Hindsley sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.90, for a total value of $383,400.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $702,900. This represents a 35.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 11.69% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oil-Dri Corporation Of America

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ODC. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America by 57.4% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 502 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America during the second quarter valued at $45,000. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America by 20.1% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,062 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America in the 3rd quarter worth about $67,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in Oil-Dri Corporation Of America by 361.7% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 1,879 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 1,472 shares in the last quarter. 49.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America Company Profile

Oil-Dri Corporation of America is a specialty materials company that develops, manufactures and markets sorbent and filtration products for industrial, environmental and consumer applications. Its flagship offerings include clay- and diatomaceous earth–based cat litters, calcium silicate absorbents for spill control and cleanup, and purification media designed to remove contaminants from petroleum, chemical and food-processing streams.

Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the company has evolved from a single-product operation into a diversified provider of mineral- and chemical-based solutions.

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