NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) Lowered to Sell (D+) Rating by Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• NPK International has been downgraded by Weiss Ratings from a "hold (c-)" to a "sell (d+)" rating in a recent report.
• Despite the downgrade, other analysts have issued reports maintaining a "buy" rating for the stock, with price targets ranging from $12.00 to $12.50.
• Insider transactions reveal a significant decrease in ownership stakes, with both the VP and CEO selling a combined total of almost 76,901 shares in recent weeks.

NPK International (NYSE:NPKI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Weiss Ratings from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report released on Saturday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $12.00 price objective (up from $10.00) on shares of NPK International in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. B. Riley increased their price objective on shares of NPK International from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $12.17.

NPK International Stock Performance

Shares of NPK International stock opened at $12.98 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.72 and a beta of 2.10. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $10.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.03. NPK International has a 52 week low of $4.76 and a 52 week high of $13.04.

NPK International (NYSE:NPKI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 2nd. The company reported ($0.07) EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $142.25 million during the quarter. NPK International had a negative net margin of 62.59% and a positive return on equity of 8.29%. Sell-side analysts expect that NPK International will post 0.39 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Lori Briggs sold 8,005 shares of NPK International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.51, for a total transaction of $76,127.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 252,621 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,402,425.71. The trade was a 3.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Matthew Lanigan sold 68,896 shares of NPK International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.34, for a total transaction of $712,384.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,095,913 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,331,740.42. This trade represents a 5.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 79,914 shares of company stock valued at $819,686 over the last three months. 4.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NPK International

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NPKI. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in NPK International in the 3rd quarter worth $52,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in NPK International by 178.3% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 28,472 shares of the company's stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 18,242 shares in the last quarter. Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in NPK International in the 3rd quarter worth $156,000. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in NPK International during the 3rd quarter worth $143,000. Finally, Calamos Advisors LLC boosted its stake in NPK International by 338.0% during the 3rd quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 339,092 shares of the company's stock worth $3,835,000 after purchasing an additional 261,682 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About NPK International

NPK International Inc provides products, rentals, and services primarily to the oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) industry. It operates through two segments, Fluids Systems and Industrial Solutions. The Fluids Systems segment provides drilling, completion, and stimulation fluids products and related technical services to customers primarily in the North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as other countries in the Asia Pacific and Latin America.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.