Nebula Research & Development LLC Reduces Holdings in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

Nebula Research & Development LLC cut its holdings in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) by 28.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,281 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 20,397 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC owned 0.09% of Orion worth $810,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in OEC. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Orion by 3.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 57,672 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $984,000 after buying an additional 1,775 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Orion by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 35,294 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $557,000 after buying an additional 1,954 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 25,351 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 2,138 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Orion by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 79,177 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Orion by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 22,577 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 3,630 shares during the period. 94.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Orion

In other news, VP Carlos Quinones purchased 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $13.07 per share, for a total transaction of $43,131.00. Following the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 79,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,705.14. This trade represents a 4.32 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Orion Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE OEC opened at $12.03 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $12.92 and its 200 day moving average is $14.94. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $681.55 million, a PE ratio of 16.04 and a beta of 1.25. Orion S.A. has a twelve month low of $10.50 and a twelve month high of $26.05.

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

Orion Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 11th will be given a dividend of $0.0207 per share. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 11th. Orion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

OEC has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Orion from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $18.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Orion from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th.

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.