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

Shares of NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report) crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $7.69 and traded as low as $6.69. NL Industries shares last traded at $6.78, with a volume of 36,646 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

NL Industries Trading Down 4.5%

The company has a market cap of $330.80 million, a PE ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.32. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $7.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $7.67.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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). NL Industries had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 38.69%. The business had revenue of $40.30 million during the quarter.

NL Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.32%. NL Industries's payout ratio is 28.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,006,917 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $15,594,000 after purchasing an additional 21,876 shares in the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC raised its position in shares of NL Industries by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 426,626 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,315,000 after acquiring an additional 21,313 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of NL Industries by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 231,462 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,798,000 after acquiring an additional 6,950 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of NL Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $1,622,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of NL Industries by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 189,522 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,473,000 after acquiring an additional 3,924 shares during the period. 10.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.