Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) VP Christopher B. Lamson Sells 3,154 Shares

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total transaction of $134,833.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 70,796 shares in the company, valued at $3,026,529. This represents a 4.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ODC opened at $42.65 on Friday. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a twelve month low of $29.47 and a twelve month high of $46.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $30.86 and its 200-day moving average is $21.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $622.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.78 and a beta of 0.53.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) last released 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.155 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. Oil-Dri Co. of America’s payout ratio is 20.03%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oil-Dri Co. of America

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ODC. Needham Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 10.8% in the third quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 267,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $18,455,000 after purchasing an additional 26,000 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,181,000. Moran Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Oil-Dri Co. of America during the 3rd quarter valued at $606,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 50.5% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 21,933 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,406,000 after acquiring an additional 7,364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in Oil-Dri Co. of America during the 3rd quarter worth $216,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Oil-Dri Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Company Profile

Oil-Dri Corp. of America develops, manufactures, and markets sorbent products. It operates through the Business to Business Products Group and Retail and Wholesale Products Group segments. The Business to Business Products Group segment’s customers include processors and refiners of edible oils, petroleum-based oils and biodiesel fuel, manufacturers of animal feed and agricultural chemicals, distributors of animal health and nutrition products, and marketers of consumer products.