NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) Short Interest Down 17.4% in December

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 97,120 shares, a decline of 17.4% from the December 15th total of 117,525 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 35,316 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 35,316 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of NL Industries in a report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NL Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of NL Industries during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in NL Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in NL Industries by 73.6% in the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 23,547 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $145,000 after purchasing an additional 9,984 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in NL Industries in the second quarter valued at approximately $158,000. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in shares of NL Industries by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 29,064 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $179,000 after purchasing an additional 3,239 shares during the last quarter. 10.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NL Industries Price Performance

Shares of NL Industries stock opened at $6.09 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $297.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.47 and a beta of 0.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $5.65 and its 200-day moving average is $6.01. NL Industries has a one year low of $5.04 and a one year high of $9.27.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.34). NL Industries had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 2.36%. The firm had revenue of $40.00 million during the quarter.

NL Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. NL Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 180.00%.

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.