Inspire Investing LLC Boosts Position in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC)

Inspire Investing LLC increased its holdings in Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) by 44.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,213 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,173 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Orion were worth $413,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in OEC. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Orion by 207.0% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,094 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,412 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new stake in Orion in the second quarter worth about $54,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Orion by 1,375.1% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,791 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 3,534 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Orion by 76.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,776 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,076 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Orion in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $140,000. Institutional investors own 94.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

OEC has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com cut Orion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Orion from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th.

Insider Activity at Orion

In other Orion news, Director Dan F. Smith bought 2,500 shares of Orion stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $18.53 per share, with a total value of $46,325.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 78,772 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,459,645.16. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Dan F. Smith purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $18.53 per share, with a total value of $46,325.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 78,772 shares in the company, valued at $1,459,645.16. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Corning F. Painter acquired 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $17.48 per share, with a total value of $349,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 948,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,584,604.48. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 47,500 shares of company stock valued at $845,225. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Orion Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:OEC opened at $17.48 on Thursday. Orion S.A. has a 12-month low of $15.54 and a 12-month high of $28.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.81 and a beta of 1.46. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

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

Orion Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.021 dividend. This is a positive change from Orion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.02. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Orion’s payout ratio is presently 5.41%.

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.