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

Shares of NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $5.90 and traded as low as $5.63. NL Industries shares last traded at $5.7910, with a volume of 46,902 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on NL shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of NL Industries from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of NL Industries to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Sell”.

NL Industries Trading Down 0.3%

The firm has a market capitalization of $282.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.52 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $6.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.90.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The basic materials company reported ($0.63) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.81). NL Industries had a negative net margin of 23.88% and a negative return on equity of 9.43%. The company had revenue of $37.70 million during the quarter.

NL Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. This is a boost from NL Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. NL Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently -51.95%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NL Industries

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in NL Industries by 80.4% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 5,985 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,667 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in NL Industries during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 34.3% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,445 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 2,413 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NL Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in shares of NL Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 10.67% of the company’s stock.

NL Industries Company Profile

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.