Divisar Capital Management LLC Acquires 55,000 Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

Divisar Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 805,082 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 55,000 shares during the quarter. Orion comprises approximately 3.3% of Divisar Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Divisar Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Orion were worth $17,663,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in Orion by 3.8% in the second quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,724,139 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $59,768,000 after buying an additional 99,613 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Orion by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,877,706 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $41,197,000 after purchasing an additional 80,266 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Orion by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,807,942 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $42,523,000 after buying an additional 77,952 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Orion by 18.6% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,347,138 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $29,556,000 after buying an additional 210,990 shares during the period. Finally, Grizzlyrock Capital LLC bought a new position in Orion in the 4th quarter worth $23,586,000. 94.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Orion Stock Performance

OEC opened at $16.52 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $964.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.16 and a beta of 1.47. Orion S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $15.54 and a fifty-two week high of $28.48. The company has a fifty day moving average of $18.71 and a 200 day moving average of $21.88.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.18). Orion had a return on equity of 19.21% and a net margin of 4.09%. The business had revenue of $477.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $491.14 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.53 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Orion S.A. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Orion Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.021 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. This is an increase from Orion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.02. Orion’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

OEC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Orion from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com raised Orion from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dan F. Smith bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $18.53 per share, with a total value of $46,325.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 78,772 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,459,645.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Corning F. Painter bought 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $17.48 per share, for a total transaction of $349,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 948,776 shares in the company, valued at $16,584,604.48. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Dan F. Smith purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of $18.53 per share, for a total transaction of $46,325.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 78,772 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,459,645.16. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 47,500 shares of company stock valued at $845,225 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

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.