Orion (NYSE:OEC) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Orion (NYSE:OEC) has been downgraded by Zacks Research to a "strong sell" rating, indicating a significant shift in analyst sentiment toward the stock.
• Mizuho and UBS have also lowered their price targets for Orion, with Mizuho setting it at $10.00 and UBS at $17.00, while JPMorgan maintains an "underweight" rating with a target of $9.00.
• Orion recently reported earnings of $0.32 per share, which fell short of the expected $0.36, alongside a revenue decline of 2.2% year-over-year.

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Orion (NYSE:OEC - Free Report) to a strong sell rating in a research report report published on Tuesday, August 12th,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Orion from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Orion from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $9.00 price objective (down from $10.00) on shares of Orion in a report on Monday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $12.00.

Orion Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE OEC traded up $0.2350 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $10.2950. The stock had a trading volume of 613,819 shares, compared to its average volume of 605,752. 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 company has a market cap of $578.06 million, a P/E ratio of 38.13 and a beta of 1.10. Orion has a fifty-two week low of $9.03 and a fifty-two week high of $19.48. The business's 50-day moving average price is $10.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.86.

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

Orion Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a interim dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.0207 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 7th. This represents a dividend yield of 80.0%. Orion's dividend payout ratio is 29.63%.

Institutional Trading of Orion

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in OEC. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Orion by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 33,857 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $438,000 after buying an additional 1,097 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Orion by 4.9% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 26,584 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $344,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Orion by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 35,294 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $557,000 after acquiring an additional 1,954 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its stake in Orion by 18.2% during the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 13,687 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 2,112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in Orion by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 85,855 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $901,000 after purchasing an additional 2,344 shares during the last quarter. 94.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Orion

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.