Orion (NYSE:OEC) Stock Price Down 4.9% - Should You Sell?

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) dropped 4.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $11.34 and last traded at $11.35. Approximately 85,511 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 551,572 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.93.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Orion from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Orion from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $18.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 24th.

Orion Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $632.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.04 and a beta of 1.10. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $11.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.69.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.31). Orion had a net margin of 2.35% and a return on equity of 20.94%. The firm had revenue of $477.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $486.06 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Orion Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.0207 per share. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 11th. Orion's payout ratio is 17.39%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in Orion by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 26,584 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,233 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Orion by 5.5% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 83,511 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,080,000 after buying an additional 4,334 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Orion during the first quarter worth $199,000. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Orion by 202.7% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 121,078 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,566,000 after buying an additional 81,079 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dean Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Orion by 50.8% in the 1st quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 45,749 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $592,000 after acquiring an additional 15,415 shares during the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.