Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Rating Lowered to Hold at 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 research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Stock Up 1.5 %

ODC stock opened at $42.44 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $619.62 million, a PE ratio of 13.71 and a beta of 0.53. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a 52 week low of $29.47 and a 52 week high of $46.50. 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 50 day moving average of $27.33 and a 200 day moving average of $20.30.

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%.

Insider Activity at Oil-Dri Co. of America

In other Oil-Dri Co. of America news, VP Laura G. Scheland sold 10,000 shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total transaction of $173,175.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 61,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,601.80. The trade was a 14.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 11.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ODC. FMR LLC grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew 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 acquiring an additional 268 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in Oil-Dri Co. of America during the third quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 30.2% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,253 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 986 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 40.8% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 4,772 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.01% of the company’s stock.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Company Profile

Oil-Dri Corporation of America, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets sorbent products in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Retail and Wholesale Products Group, and Business to Business Products Group. The company provides agricultural and horticultural products, including mineral-based absorbent products that serve as carriers for biological and chemical active ingredients, drying agents, and growing media under the Agsorb, Verge, and Flo-Fre brand names.