NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Stock Price Crosses Below 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report) crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $7.43 and traded as low as $6.26. NL Industries shares last traded at $6.36, with a volume of 17,951 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded NL Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th.

NL Industries Stock Up 1.1%

The business's 50 day simple moving average is $7.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $7.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $316.55 million, a P/E ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.27.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $40.30 million during the quarter. NL Industries had a return on equity of 14.97% and a net margin of 41.23%.

NL Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th were issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.56%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. NL Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NL Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of NL Industries by 15.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 27,285 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 3,667 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of NL Industries during the first quarter valued at $35,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 168,532 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,331,000 after acquiring an additional 6,032 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of NL Industries in the 1st quarter worth $183,000. Finally, Bailard Inc. purchased a new position in shares of NL Industries in the first quarter worth approximately $141,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.