Gabelli Funds LLC Has $7.26 Million Stock Holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC)

Gabelli Funds LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 82,800 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Oil-Dri Co. of America were worth $7,257,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 200 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 112,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,834,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 3.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,009 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $966,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in shares of Oil-Dri Co. of America by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 24,894 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,182,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the period. 49.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Christopher B. Lamson sold 3,154 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total transaction of $134,833.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 70,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,026,529. This trade represents a 4.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Amy Ryan sold 2,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.78, for a total transaction of $87,738.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $162,942. This represents a 35.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 11.66% of the company’s stock.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Trading Down 0.6 %

ODC stock opened at $43.02 on Thursday. Oil-Dri Co. of America has a 52 week low of $29.47 and a 52 week high of $49.72. The company has a market capitalization of $627.88 million, a PE ratio of 13.90 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $44.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.63.

Oil-Dri Co. of America (NYSE:ODC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Oil-Dri Co. of America had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 21.84%. The firm had revenue of $116.91 million for the quarter.

Oil-Dri Co. of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.155 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Oil-Dri Co. of America’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Oil-Dri Co. of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th.

Oil-Dri Co. of America 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.