Orion (NYSE:OEC) Sets New 12-Month Low - What's Next?

Key Points

• Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) shares reached a new 52-week low of $9.01 during trading, with analysts issuing mainly negative ratings, including a "strong sell" from Zacks Research.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings miss with $0.32 earnings per share, falling short of expectations and showing a 2.2% decline in revenue from the previous year.
• Orion recently announced an interim dividend of $0.0207 per share, with an ex-dividend date set for December 12th, representing a yield of 80.0%.

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $9.01 and last traded at $9.05, with a volume of 298577 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.28.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on OEC. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Orion to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $9.00 price objective (down previously from $10.00) on shares of Orion in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Mizuho reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $9.00 price objective on shares of Orion in a research note on Friday, September 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $11.67.

Orion Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $477.28 million, a PE ratio of 31.48 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's 50 day moving average is $10.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.21.

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

Orion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a interim dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $0.0207 dividend. This represents a yield of 80.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Orion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.63%.

Institutional Trading of Orion

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Orion during the 1st quarter worth $59,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 321.8% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,382 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 5,632 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 1,256.0% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 6,007 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 5,564 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 831.7% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,662 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 5,947 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Orion during the 1st quarter worth $137,000. 94.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Orion Company Profile

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.