UBS Group Lowers Orion (NYSE:OEC) Price Target to $22.00

Orion (NYSE:OEC) had its price target dropped by investment analysts at UBS Group from $23.00 to $22.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. UBS Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 42.11% from the company’s current price.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Orion from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $20.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Monday, November 11th.

Orion Trading Up 5.6 %

Orion stock traded up $0.82 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $15.48. 57,739 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 406,570. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Orion has a 12 month low of $13.32 and a 12 month high of $26.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $893.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.93 and a beta of 1.50.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $434.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $437.03 million. Orion had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 18.97%. Analysts forecast that Orion will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Orion

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Orion by 35.4% in the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 3,647,985 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $64,971,000 after purchasing an additional 954,398 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Orion by 21.1% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 3,461,950 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $54,664,000 after purchasing an additional 602,080 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in Orion by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,617,287 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $41,327,000 after purchasing an additional 265,184 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Orion by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,186,942 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,529,000 after buying an additional 233,342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Orion by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Minneapolis Portfolio Management Group LLC now owns 1,922,698 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $30,359,000 after buying an additional 320,157 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.