Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Stock Performance

Oil-Dri Co. of America stock opened at $43.94 on Friday. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $42.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.38. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a 52-week low of $29.47 and a 52-week high of $46.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $641.30 million, a P/E ratio of 14.20 and a beta of 0.52.

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 (EPS) for the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a return on equity of 21.84% and a net margin of 9.92%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total value of $134,833.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 70,796 shares in the company, valued at $3,026,529. This trade represents a 4.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Amy Ryan sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were 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 approximately $162,942. This represents a 35.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 11.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 81.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 445 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 12.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 5.2% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 1.0% during the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 37,041 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,555,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 112,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,834,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 49.01% of the company’s stock.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Company Profile

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.