NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL)’s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $6.15 and traded as high as $6.90. NL Industries shares last traded at $6.7750, with a volume of 27,056 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of NL Industries in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, NL Industries presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

NL Industries Stock Down 0.2%

The firm has a market capitalization of $331.30 million, a PE ratio of -13.03 and a beta of 0.22. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $6.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.15.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.03). NL Industries had a negative net margin of 15.75% and a negative return on equity of 6.67%. The business had revenue of $43.61 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $43.61 million.

NL Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. NL Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -76.92%.

Institutional Trading of NL Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in NL Industries by 179.0% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 33,077 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $203,000 after buying an additional 21,223 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in NL Industries during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $158,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in NL Industries by 73.6% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 23,547 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $145,000 after buying an additional 9,984 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 27.3% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 25,980 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $142,000 after acquiring an additional 5,567 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of NL Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.67% of the company’s stock.

About NL Industries

NL Industries, Inc is a U.S.-based industrial minerals company whose primary focus is the mining, upgrading and marketing of titanium feedstocks. The company’s products include synthetic rutile and chloride slag, which serve as key raw materials for producers of titanium dioxide pigment. These pigments are widely used as whitening and opacifying agents in coatings, plastics, paper and specialty applications.

NL Industries serves a global customer base, supplying feedstocks under long-term agreements and through spot transactions.