American Century Companies Inc. Acquires 344,658 Shares of NPK International Inc. $NPKI

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in NPK International Inc. (NYSE:NPKI) by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,971,066 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 344,658 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 3.52% of NPK International worth $33,603,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NPKI. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in NPK International by 4.0% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 22,706 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 869 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of NPK International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in NPK International by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 27,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 2,763 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank acquired a new position in NPK International during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in NPK International in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on NPKI. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of NPK International in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut NPK International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.17.

NPK International Trading Down 2.0%

NPK International stock opened at $13.55 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.11 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $13.68 and a 200-day moving average of $12.40. NPK International Inc. has a one year low of $4.76 and a one year high of $15.96.

NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.02. NPK International had a net margin of 14.06% and a return on equity of 10.83%. The business had revenue of $75.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.02 million. On average, equities analysts expect that NPK International Inc. will post 0.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Gregg Piontek sold 108,590 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.07, for a total transaction of $1,527,861.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 884,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,442,466.82. This trade represents a 10.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael A. Lewis sold 2,013 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.31, for a total transaction of $28,806.03. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 131,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,879,375.23. This represents a 1.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.

NPK International Profile

NPK International, Inc (NYSE: NPKI) is a specialty chemical distributor supplying a broad range of industrial and performance materials across diverse end-markets. Its product portfolio includes acetic acid and derivatives, alcohols, ketones, esters, glycol ethers, glycols, specialty solvents, select inorganic chemicals and crop-protection intermediates. These materials serve industries such as coatings, adhesives and sealants, oil and gas, personal care, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and water treatment.

The company places a strong emphasis on supply-chain security and technical service, maintaining warehousing, logistics support and laboratory capabilities at its regional distribution centers.