Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Monday.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of ODC stock opened at $62.93 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $458.76 million, a PE ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 3.06. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a 52-week low of $54.80 and a 52-week high of $87.32. The business’s fifty day moving average is $74.60 and its 200 day moving average is $71.07.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. This is an increase from Oil-Dri Co. of America’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Oil-Dri Co. of America’s payout ratio is currently 19.53%.

Insider Transactions at Oil-Dri Co. of America

In other news, Director George C. Roeth sold 1,500 shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $97,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at $260,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 12.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ODC. AJOVista LLC bought a new stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 127.3% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,248 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 699 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 27.9% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,280 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $153,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio boosted its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 91.7% during the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,300 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $154,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,440 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $182,000 after acquiring an additional 421 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.