NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Share Price Crosses Below 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $6.09 and traded as low as $5.71. NL Industries shares last traded at $5.7460, with a volume of 47,738 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on NL. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of NL Industries from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of NL Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

NL Industries Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $280.75 million, a PE ratio of -8.33 and a beta of 0.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $6.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.09.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.14). NL Industries had a negative net margin of 21.56% and a negative return on equity of 8.74%. The firm had revenue of $40.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.57 million.

NL Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 4th. NL Industries’s payout ratio is currently -57.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in NL Industries by 15.5% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 27,285 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 3,667 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of NL Industries by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 168,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,331,000 after acquiring an additional 6,032 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of NL Industries during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 202,513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after acquiring an additional 9,952 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of NL Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $158,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.