Orion (NYSE:OEC) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Shares of Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 461,441 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 3% from the previous session’s volume of 448,653 shares.The stock last traded at $17.23 and had previously closed at $17.07.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on OEC shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Orion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Orion from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $20.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Monday, November 11th.

Orion Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $17.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.97. The firm has a market cap of $917.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.98 and a beta of 1.51.

Orion (NYSE:OEC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.06). Orion had a return on equity of 18.97% and a net margin of 1.67%. The business had revenue of $463.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $489.01 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Orion S.A. will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Orion

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Orion in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Orion by 207.0% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,094 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,412 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new position in Orion in the second quarter valued at about $54,000. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Orion in the third quarter worth about $69,000. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd raised its holdings in Orion by 1,578.7% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 4,415 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 4,152 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.33% 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.