Raymond James Financial Inc. Invests $1.62 Million in NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 208,720 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,622,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.43% of NL Industries as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 311.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,934 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 9,033 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in NL Industries by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 14,816 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 2,217 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in NL Industries in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $159,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in NL Industries by 112.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 22,357 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 11,815 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in NL Industries by 34.6% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 29,361 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 7,548 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 10.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of NL Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kevin B. Kramer purchased 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $6.59 per share, with a total value of $42,835.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,616.50. This trade represents a 228.07 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

NL Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NL traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $8.73. The stock had a trading volume of 21,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 33,736. The company has a market cap of $426.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.27 and a beta of 0.36. NL Industries, Inc. has a twelve month low of $5.20 and a twelve month high of $9.42. The business's fifty day moving average is $7.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.73.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.13. NL Industries had a net margin of 38.69% and a return on equity of 14.74%. The firm had revenue of $38.40 million during the quarter.

NL Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a $0.09 dividend. This is a positive change from NL Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.13%. NL Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.09%.

NL Industries 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.