Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of ODC stock opened at $43.94 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $641.30 million, a P/E ratio of 14.20 and a beta of 0.52. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a 1-year low of $29.47 and a 1-year high of $46.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.30.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 21.84%.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.155 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Oil-Dri Co. of America’s payout ratio is currently 20.00%.

Insider Transactions at Oil-Dri Co. of America

In related news, VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total transaction of $134,833.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 70,796 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,026,529. This represents a 4.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Amy Ryan sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.78, for a total transaction of $87,738.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $162,942. This trade represents a 35.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 11.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Oil-Dri Co. of America

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $571,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 13,546 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,187,000 after acquiring an additional 924 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP acquired a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $522,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 132,412 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $11,605,000 after acquiring an additional 7,606 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.01% of the company’s stock.

About Oil-Dri Co. of America

Oil-Dri Corporation of America is a manufacturer and supplier of specialty sorbent products for the pet care, animal health and nutrition, fluids purification, agricultural ingredients, sports field, industrial and automotive markets. It operates through the Business to Business Products Group and Retail and Wholesale Products Group segments.