NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Shares Pass Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Shares slipped below the 200‑day moving average, trading as low as $5.85, and the stock carries an average "Sell" rating after recent downgrades.
• Recent quarterly results missed expectations — NL reported ($0.63) EPS versus a $0.18 consensus and showed negative profitability metrics (net margin ‑23.88%, ROE ‑9.43%).
• Dividend was increased to $0.10 quarterly (annualized $0.40), implying a roughly 6.8% yield despite the company's losses.

Shares of NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report) crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $5.86 and traded as low as $5.85. NL Industries shares last traded at $5.8910, with a volume of 29,267 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NL. Weiss Ratings lowered NL Industries from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen raised NL Industries to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Sell".

NL Industries Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $287.83 million, a P/E ratio of -7.65 and a beta of 0.17. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.86.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The basic materials company reported ($0.63) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.81). The business had revenue of $37.70 million during the quarter. NL Industries had a negative return on equity of 9.43% and a negative net margin of 23.88%.

NL Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This is a positive change from NL Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. NL Industries's dividend payout ratio is -51.95%.

Institutional Trading of NL Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Aristides Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 417,014 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,281,000 after purchasing an additional 2,075 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 299,093 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,636,000 after purchasing an additional 23,029 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 232,131 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 23,029 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 209,872 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,148,000 after purchasing an additional 7,222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 70.0% in the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 93,864 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $577,000 after purchasing an additional 38,640 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 10.67% of the company's stock.

NL Industries Company Profile

NL Industries, Inc is a U.S.-based industrial minerals company whose primary focus is the mining, upgrading and marketing of titanium feedstocks. The company's products include synthetic rutile and chloride slag, which serve as key raw materials for producers of titanium dioxide pigment. These pigments are widely used as whitening and opacifying agents in coatings, plastics, paper and specialty applications.

NL Industries serves a global customer base, supplying feedstocks under long-term agreements and through spot transactions.

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