NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Shares Cross Below 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $7.49 and traded as low as $6.35. NL Industries shares last traded at $6.44, with a volume of 66,578 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

NL Industries Stock Up 0.2%

The company has a market capitalization of $322.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.47.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.19). The company 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th were paid a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.45%. NL Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NL Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NL. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of NL Industries by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 44,160 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 19,316 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in NL Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,622,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 56,322 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $438,000 after acquiring an additional 3,753 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of NL Industries during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $159,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in NL Industries by 73.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 38,750 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 16,393 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, 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.