NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Stock Passes Below 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL)’s share price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $7.69 and traded as low as $7.51. NL Industries shares last traded at $7.71, with a volume of 15,432 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut NL Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th.

NL Industries Stock Up 1.6 %

The stock has a market cap of $376.37 million, a P/E ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $7.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.69.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $38.40 million for the quarter. NL Industries had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 38.69%.

NL Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a $0.09 dividend. This is a positive change from NL Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. NL Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NL Industries news, Director Kevin B. Kramer bought 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $6.59 per share, for a total transaction of $42,835.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 9,350 shares in the company, valued at $61,616.50. This trade represents a 228.07 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of NL Industries by 311.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 9,033 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 1.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 185,598 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,379,000 after acquiring an additional 3,014 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of NL Industries by 112.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 22,357 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 11,815 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 34.6% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 29,361 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 7,548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in NL Industries by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 162,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,263,000 after purchasing an additional 6,950 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 10.67% of the company’s stock.

About NL Industries

NL Industries, Inc, through its subsidiary, CompX International Inc, operates in the component products industry in Europe, North America, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company manufactures and sells mechanical and electronic cabinet locks and other locking mechanisms, including disc tumbler locks; pin tumbler locking mechanisms under KeSet, System 64, TuBar, and Turbine brands; and electronic locks under CompX eLock and StealthLock brands for use in various applications, such as mailboxes, ignition systems, file cabinets, desk drawers, tool storage cabinets, high security medical cabinetry, integrated inventory and access control secured narcotics boxes, electronic circuit panels, storage compartments, gas station security, vending and cash containment machines.