Meeder Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) by 10.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,241 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 1,396 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Orion were worth $193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in OEC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Orion by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 717,377 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $11,327,000 after buying an additional 110,911 shares during the last quarter. Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Orion by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group LLC now owns 1,922,698 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $30,359,000 after purchasing an additional 320,157 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Orion by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 161,320 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,547,000 after purchasing an additional 10,181 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Orion in the 4th quarter valued at about $171,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Orion by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,747,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $27,588,000 after purchasing an additional 188,131 shares during the period. 94.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group cut their price target on Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Orion from $21.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Insider Activity

In other Orion news, VP Carlos Quinones acquired 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $13.07 per share, with a total value of $43,131.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president now owns 79,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,041,705.14. This trade represents a 4.32 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Orion Stock Performance

Shares of OEC stock opened at $12.94 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $13.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.69. 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 $732.82 million, a PE ratio of 17.25 and a beta of 1.52. Orion S.A. has a 52-week low of $12.51 and a 52-week high of $26.05.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.10. Orion had a return on equity of 20.94% and a net margin of 2.35%. The business had revenue of $434.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $437.03 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Orion S.A. will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

Orion Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a $0.0207 dividend. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. Orion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.67%.

Orion 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.