NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) Hits New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

NPK International Inc. (NYSE:NPKI)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $10.95 and last traded at $10.9610, with a volume of 100,069 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.29.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of NPK International in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.00.

NPK International Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.08. The stock has a market cap of $927.64 million, a PE ratio of 21.83 and a beta of 1.46.

NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.02. NPK International had a net margin of 14.19% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The company had revenue of $81.58 million for the quarter. Sell-side analysts anticipate that NPK International Inc. will post 0.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at NPK International

In related news, Director Rose Robeson sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.49, for a total value of $134,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 215,147 shares in the company, valued at $2,902,333.03. This trade represents a 4.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Matthew James Warren sold 2,991 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.41, for a total value of $40,109.31. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 51,439 shares in the company, valued at $689,796.99. This trade represents a 5.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 15,004 shares of company stock worth $203,715 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 4.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NPKI. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in NPK International by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 22,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 1,357 shares during the period. MQS Management LLC increased its stake in shares of NPK International by 16.4% during the 1st quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 13,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $202,000 after acquiring an additional 1,967 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of NPK International by 13.1% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 31,038 shares of the company’s stock worth $450,000 after acquiring an additional 3,591 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in shares of NPK International by 26.3% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 19,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,000 after acquiring an additional 4,133 shares during the period. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its position in shares of NPK International by 4.4% in the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 110,282 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,598,000 after acquiring an additional 4,666 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

About NPK International

NPK International Inc provides products, rentals, and services primarily to the oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) industry. It operates through two segments, Fluids Systems and Industrial Solutions. The Fluids Systems segment provides drilling, completion, and stimulation fluids products and related technical services to customers primarily in the North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as other countries in the Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Industrial Solutions segment offers composite matting system rentals utilized for temporary worksite access; related site construction and services to customers in various markets, including power transmission, E&P, pipeline, renewable energy, petrochemical, construction, and other industries primarily in the United States and Europe; recyclable composite mats to customers worldwide; and access road construction, site planning and preparation, environmental protection, erosion control, and site restoration services.