Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Strong Sell" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Orion has a consensus “Strong Sell” rating from five brokerages, with three sells and two holds. The average 12-month price target is $6.08, roughly in line with the stock’s $6.09 price.
• Orion’s latest quarterly results were mixed: revenue of $500.9 million exceeded estimates, but earnings per share of $0.14 fell short of the $0.16 consensus. Analysts expect full-year EPS of $0.08.
• Institutional investors own 94.33% of Orion’s shares, while the company maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.0207 per share, representing a 1.4% annualized yield.

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Strong Sell" from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and two have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $6.0833.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Orion from $7.50 to $8.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Orion in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Orion from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Orion from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th.

Institutional Trading of Orion

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new position in Orion during the second quarter worth $28,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Orion during the second quarter valued at $37,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Orion in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Orion by 430.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,861 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 4,757 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 321.8% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.33% of the company's stock.

Orion Price Performance

Orion stock opened at $6.09 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $344.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.52 and a beta of 1.00. The firm's fifty day moving average is $6.65 and its 200 day moving average is $6.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72. Orion has a 52-week low of $4.34 and a 52-week high of $10.89.

Orion (NYSE:OEC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.02). Orion had a negative net margin of 5.28% and a negative return on equity of 0.31%. The business had revenue of $500.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.43 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Orion will post 0.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Orion Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be given a dividend of $0.0207 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Orion's payout ratio is currently -4.62%.

About Orion

Orion Engineered Carbons SA, operating as Orion NYSE: OEC, is a global producer of carbon black, a critical performance additive used to enhance the strength, durability and conductivity of various materials. The company’s products chiefly serve the tire and rubber industry, where carbon black imparts wear resistance and longevity, as well as the plastics, coatings, inks and battery components markets, where specialty grades deliver tailored conductivity and color properties.

Orion’s product portfolio is organized into two core segments: Rubber and Specialty and Chemical Specialties.

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