Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Sees Strong Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 19,164 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 32% from the previous session’s volume of 28,212 shares.The stock last traded at $43.62 and had previously closed at $44.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut Oil-Dri Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Price Performance

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 stock’s 50-day moving average price is $42.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.38. The company has a market capitalization of $641.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.20 and a beta of 0.52.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) last posted 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.155 per share. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Oil-Dri Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oil-Dri Co. of America news, VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,026,529. The trade was a 4.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Amy Ryan sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.78, for a total value of $87,738.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,900 shares in the company, valued at $162,942. This represents a 35.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 11.66% of the company’s stock.

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

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 81.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 445 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 973.1% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,157 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $189,000 after purchasing an additional 1,956 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America in the third quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Finally, Mariner LLC acquired a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America in the fourth quarter worth $222,000. 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.