NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• NL Industries shares rose above their 200-day moving average, trading as high as $6.50 and recently at $6.49, compared with the 200-day average of $6.11.
• Analysts remain cautious: coverage includes one Hold rating, while Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from Sell to Hold. The company also missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.18 per share versus the $0.21 consensus.
• NL Industries declared a quarterly dividend of $0.10, equivalent to $0.40 annually and a 6.2% yield, despite negative net margins, negative return on equity, and a payout ratio of -76.92%.

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $6.11 and traded as high as $6.50. NL Industries shares last traded at $6.49, with a volume of 27,592 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on NL. Wall Street Zen raised shares of NL Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of NL Industries in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold".

NL Industries Price Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.11. The firm has a market cap of $317.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.48 and a beta of 0.22.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $43.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $43.61 million. NL Industries had a negative net margin of 15.75% and a negative return on equity of 6.67%.

NL Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. NL Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -76.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NL Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 0.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,089,167 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $12,180,000 after buying an additional 15,950 shares in the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of NL Industries by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 417,014 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,281,000 after buying an additional 2,075 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of NL Industries by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 299,093 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,636,000 after buying an additional 23,029 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in NL Industries by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 232,131 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,270,000 after acquiring an additional 23,029 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in NL Industries by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 209,872 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,148,000 after acquiring an additional 7,222 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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