Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Share Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $27.34 and traded as high as $48.00. Oil-Dri Co. of America shares last traded at $47.47, with a volume of 58,218 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut Oil-Dri Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $692.75 million, a P/E ratio of 15.34 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $43.10 and a 200-day moving average of $27.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) last announced its earnings results 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%.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.155 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $0.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Oil-Dri Co. of America’s payout ratio is 20.00%.

Insider Transactions at Oil-Dri Co. of America

In related news, 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 trade represents a 35.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total value of $134,833.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 70,796 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,026,529. This trade represents a 4.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 11.66% of the company’s stock.

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

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new position in Oil-Dri Co. of America in the 4th quarter worth $571,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 13,546 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,187,000 after buying an additional 924 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America during the 4th quarter valued at about $228,000. Two Sigma Investments LP purchased a new position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America during the 4th quarter valued at about $522,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 132,412 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $11,605,000 after buying an additional 7,606 shares during 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 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.