NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) Hits New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Shares of NPK International hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $16.15 and last at $15.996, which is above the stock's consensus average price target of $14.17.
• The company posted an earnings beat last quarter ($0.13 vs. $0.11 expected) with $75.2M in revenue and a 14.06% net margin, and analysts forecast $0.53 in EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — the CFO sold 108,590 shares (~$1.53M) and insiders sold 161,603 shares worth $2.3M over the past 90 days — although institutional investors still own about 80.8% of the stock.

Shares of NPK International Inc. (NYSE:NPKI - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $16.15 and last traded at $15.9960, with a volume of 24597 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $15.10.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NPKI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of NPK International in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of NPK International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, NPK International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $14.17.

NPK International Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of 35.05 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.43. The firm's 50 day moving average is $14.34 and its 200-day moving average is $13.30.

NPK International (NYSE:NPKI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.02. NPK International had a net margin of 14.06% and a return on equity of 10.83%. The business had revenue of $75.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $69.02 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that NPK International Inc. will post 0.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at NPK International

In other news, CFO Gregg Piontek sold 108,590 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.07, for a total value of $1,527,861.30. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 884,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,442,466.82. This represents a 10.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael A. Lewis sold 2,013 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.31, for a total transaction of $28,806.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 131,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,879,375.23. This represents a 1.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 161,603 shares of company stock worth $2,303,677. Company insiders own 4.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NPK International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of NPK International by 26,725.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,146 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 2,138 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of NPK International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of NPK International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in NPK International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in NPK International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NPK International Company Profile

NPK International, Inc NYSE: NPKI is a specialty chemical distributor supplying a broad range of industrial and performance materials across diverse end-markets. Its product portfolio includes acetic acid and derivatives, alcohols, ketones, esters, glycol ethers, glycols, specialty solvents, select inorganic chemicals and crop-protection intermediates. These materials serve industries such as coatings, adhesives and sealants, oil and gas, personal care, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and water treatment.

The company places a strong emphasis on supply-chain security and technical service, maintaining warehousing, logistics support and laboratory capabilities at its regional distribution centers.

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