Ellsworth Advisors LLC Buys 160 Shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC)

Ellsworth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,548 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Ellsworth Advisors LLC owned 0.09% of Oil-Dri Co. of America worth $439,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ODC. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 46.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,193 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 695 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $96,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 945.1% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,550 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $106,000 after buying an additional 2,306 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Oil-Dri Co. of America during the third quarter valued at $110,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC boosted its holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America by 5,743.8% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 1,870 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 1,838 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised 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 %

Shares of NYSE ODC traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $74.56. The stock had a trading volume of 14,675 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,188. The company has a market cap of $543.54 million, a P/E 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $69.27 and its 200-day moving average is $64.54. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a 52 week low of $36.84 and a 52 week high of $78.09.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $105.67 million for 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 Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Aaron Christiansen sold 1,070 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.31, for a total value of $70,951.70. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,326,200. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 12.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Oil-Dri Co. of America 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.