Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Reaches New 12-Month High at $78.09

Shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $78.09 and last traded at $76.93, with a volume of 23474 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $73.67.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Oil-Dri Co. of America from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Stock Down 0.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $543.54 million, a PE ratio of 12.20 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 3.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $69.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.54.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $105.67 million during the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a return on equity of 26.98% and a net margin of 10.14%.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. Oil-Dri Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Aaron Christiansen sold 1,070 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.31, for a total value of $70,951.70. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,326,200. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 12.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oil-Dri Co. of America

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 378.4% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 344,076 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $20,297,000 after purchasing an additional 272,153 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 239.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 83,029 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,898,000 after purchasing an additional 58,537 shares during the last quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 135,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,089,000 after purchasing an additional 52,700 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America during the second quarter worth about $1,593,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 107.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 93,631 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,523,000 after purchasing an additional 48,418 shares during the last quarter. 49.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Oil-Dri Co. of America

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.