NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $6.15 and traded as high as $6.90. NL Industries shares last traded at $6.7750, with a volume of 27,056 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of NL Industries in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

NL Industries Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $322.50 million, a P/E ratio of -12.68 and a beta of 0.22. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.15.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.03). NL Industries had a negative net margin of 15.75% and a negative return on equity of 6.67%. The firm had revenue of $43.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.61 million.

NL Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be paid a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. NL Industries’s payout ratio is currently -76.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NL Industries

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in NL Industries by 15.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 27,285 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 3,667 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in NL Industries by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 168,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,331,000 after purchasing an additional 6,032 shares during the period. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in NL Industries during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of NL Industries by 5.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 9,952 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of NL Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $158,000. 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.