Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Orion S.A. (NYSE:OEC) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,181,956 shares, a growth of 40.3% from the January 15th total of 842,698 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 631,965 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 631,965 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on OEC. Zacks Research upgraded Orion from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Orion from $5.50 to $6.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Mizuho set a $6.00 price objective on shares of Orion in a report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Orion in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Orion from $9.00 to $5.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus price target of $5.67.

Institutional Trading of Orion

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CenterBook Partners LP raised its stake in Orion by 53.9% in the second quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 294,093 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,085,000 after purchasing an additional 103,021 shares in the last quarter. Harvey Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Orion by 15.5% in the 2nd quarter. Harvey Partners LLC now owns 2,424,995 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $25,438,000 after buying an additional 325,995 shares during the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Orion during the 2nd quarter valued at $675,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Orion by 698.1% during the 2nd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 132,424 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,389,000 after acquiring an additional 115,831 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Orion during the 2nd quarter worth $575,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.33% of the company’s stock.

Orion Price Performance

NYSE OEC opened at $7.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $399.51 million, a PE ratio of -12.27 and a beta of 1.06. Orion has a 52 week low of $4.34 and a 52 week high of $16.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $6.97.

Orion Company Profile

Orion Engineered Carbons SA, operating as Orion (NYSE: OEC), is a global producer of carbon black, a critical performance additive used to enhance the strength, durability and conductivity of various materials. The company’s products chiefly serve the tire and rubber industry, where carbon black imparts wear resistance and longevity, as well as the plastics, coatings, inks and battery components markets, where specialty grades deliver tailored conductivity and color properties.

Orion’s product portfolio is organized into two core segments: Rubber and Specialty and Chemical Specialties.