Natural Resource Partners (NYSE:NRP) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Technical breakout: NRP's share price crossed above its 200-day moving average of $112.45, trading as high as $117.32 and last at $116.06, a potential bullish signal on increased buying interest.
• Solid recent results and payout: the company reported quarterly EPS of $2.27 with a net margin of 65.16% and ROE of 22.52%, and paid a $0.12 special dividend (payout ratio 29.88%).
• Mixed analyst views but institutional interest: the stock has an average MarketBeat rating of "Buy" despite a recent downgrade to "Hold" from one firm, about 31.77% is owned by institutions, and the company has a $1.54 billion market cap with a P/E of 11.56.

Natural Resource Partners LP (NYSE:NRP - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $112.45 and traded as high as $117.32. Natural Resource Partners shares last traded at $116.0640, with a volume of 16,576 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NRP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Natural Resource Partners in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natural Resource Partners from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy".

Natural Resource Partners Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $120.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $112.45.

Natural Resource Partners (NYSE:NRP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The energy company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $48.40 million for the quarter. Natural Resource Partners had a net margin of 65.16% and a return on equity of 22.52%.

Natural Resource Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. Natural Resource Partners's payout ratio is 29.88%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natural Resource Partners

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in Natural Resource Partners by 15.5% in the third quarter. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. now owns 77,967 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $8,187,000 after buying an additional 10,465 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV raised its stake in shares of Natural Resource Partners by 33.4% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 162,400 shares of the energy company's stock worth $17,052,000 after acquiring an additional 40,700 shares during the last quarter. Solidarity Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Natural Resource Partners by 5.7% in the third quarter. Solidarity Wealth LLC now owns 197,045 shares of the energy company's stock worth $20,690,000 after acquiring an additional 10,652 shares during the last quarter. Mountain Lake Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Natural Resource Partners by 21.5% in the third quarter. Mountain Lake Investment Management LLC now owns 45,622 shares of the energy company's stock worth $4,790,000 after acquiring an additional 8,072 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. raised its stake in shares of Natural Resource Partners by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 21,225 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. 31.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Natural Resource Partners

Natural Resource Partners LP NYSE: NRP is a master limited partnership that acquires and manages royalty and other mineral interests in coal and other natural resources across North America and Australia. The partnership was formed in 2010 as a spin-out from a major U.S. coal producer and is headquartered in Fairmont, West Virginia. Its core business model centers on owning gross proceeds interests, gross royalty proceeds interests and fee minerals, which provide the right to receive a portion of revenues from mining and mineral production without operating the mines directly.

NRP's U.S.

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