NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Stock Crosses Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $6.31 and traded as low as $5.52. NL Industries shares last traded at $5.6850, with a volume of 15,733 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on NL shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of NL Industries in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen lowered NL Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, NL Industries has an average rating of “Hold”.

NL Industries Stock Up 1.9%

The stock has a market cap of $277.77 million, a PE ratio of 28.43 and a beta of 0.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $5.79 and a 200-day moving average of $6.31.

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

NL Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 21st. NL Industries’s payout ratio is currently 180.00%.

Institutional Trading of NL Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NL. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of NL Industries during the first quarter worth about $183,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in NL Industries by 15.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 27,285 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 3,667 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of NL Industries by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 168,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,331,000 after buying an additional 6,032 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of NL Industries in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 9,952 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.67% of the company’s stock.

NL Industries Company Profile

NL Industries, Inc, through its subsidiary, CompX International Inc, operates in the component products industry in Europe, North America, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company manufactures and sells mechanical and electronic cabinet locks and other locking mechanisms, including disc tumbler locks; pin tumbler locking mechanisms under KeSet, System 64, TuBar, and Turbine brands; and electronic locks under CompX eLock and StealthLock brands for use in various applications, such as mailboxes, ignition systems, file cabinets, desk drawers, tool storage cabinets, high security medical cabinetry, integrated inventory and access control secured narcotics boxes, electronic circuit panels, storage compartments, gas station security, vending and cash containment machines.