JPMorgan Chase & Co. Purchases 16,393 Shares of NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) by 73.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 38,750 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,393 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.08% of NL Industries worth $301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 311.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 9,033 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in NL Industries by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 14,816 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 2,217 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of NL Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $159,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of NL Industries by 34.6% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 29,361 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 7,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of NL Industries by 77.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 44,160 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 19,316 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of NL Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th.

NL Industries Trading Up 4.4 %

NL Industries stock opened at $8.89 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.73. NL Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $5.20 and a 1-year high of $9.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $434.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.40 and a beta of 0.41.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.13. NL Industries had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 38.69%. The company had revenue of $38.40 million for the quarter.

NL Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This is an increase from NL Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. NL Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.09%.

Insider Activity at NL Industries

In other news, Director Kevin B. Kramer acquired 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $6.59 per share, with a total value of $42,835.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 9,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,616.50. This 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 the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.