Newpark Resources (NYSE:NR) Shares Up 4%

Newpark Resources, Inc. (NYSE:NR - Get Free Report) shares were up 4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $7.51 and last traded at $7.51. Approximately 74,610 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 706,155 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.22.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on NR shares. HC Wainwright started coverage on Newpark Resources in a report on Tuesday, December 5th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $12.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut Newpark Resources from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Roth Mkm assumed coverage on Newpark Resources in a report on Friday, March 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $10.00 target price for the company. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating on shares of Newpark Resources in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Finally, TheStreet lowered Newpark Resources from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Newpark Resources presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $11.00.

Newpark Resources Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $637.30 million, a P/E ratio of 45.13 and a beta of 2.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $6.61 and a 200 day moving average of $6.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.62.

Newpark Resources (NYSE:NR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The oil and gas company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $167.82 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.87 million. Newpark Resources had a net margin of 1.94% and a return on equity of 6.53%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Newpark Resources, Inc. will post 0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Newpark Resources by 534.4% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 872,751 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,622,000 after purchasing an additional 735,171 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Newpark Resources by 16.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,133,165 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $19,763,000 after purchasing an additional 708,123 shares during the last quarter. Cannell Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Newpark Resources by 20.8% in the 1st quarter. Cannell Capital LLC now owns 4,091,358 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $14,974,000 after purchasing an additional 703,605 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Newpark Resources by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,761,308 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $31,615,000 after purchasing an additional 574,271 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Newpark Resources by 233.5% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 688,502 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,127,000 after purchasing an additional 482,061 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Newpark Resources

Newpark Resources, 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.