Short Interest in NPK International Inc. (NYSE:NPKI) Expands By 30.1%

NPK International Inc. (NYSE:NPKI) saw a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,449,347 shares, an increase of 30.1% from the February 26th total of 1,114,439 shares. Currently, 1.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 846,009 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at NPK International

In other news, CFO Gregg Piontek sold 108,590 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.07, for a total transaction of $1,527,861.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 884,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,442,466.82. This represents a 10.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael A. Lewis sold 2,013 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.31, for a total value of $28,806.03. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 131,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,879,375.23. The trade was a 1.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 111,603 shares of company stock worth $1,570,227 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NPKI. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in NPK International during the fourth quarter valued at $169,000. Aristides Capital LLC purchased a new stake in NPK International in the fourth quarter valued at $188,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in NPK International by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 24,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 1,478 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in NPK International during the 4th quarter worth about $146,000. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of NPK International during the 4th quarter valued at about $992,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NPKI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut NPK International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of NPK International in a report on Monday, December 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $14.17.

NPK International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NPKI traded up $0.18 on Friday, hitting $14.60. 751,140 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 776,593. NPK International has a 1-year low of $4.76 and a 1-year high of $15.96. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $14.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.45 and a beta of 1.23.

NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $75.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $69.02 million. NPK International had a return on equity of 10.83% and a net margin of 14.06%. Sell-side analysts predict that NPK International will post 0.39 EPS for the current year.

About NPK International

NPK International, Inc (NYSE: NPKI) is a specialty chemical distributor supplying a broad range of industrial and performance materials across diverse end-markets. Its product portfolio includes acetic acid and derivatives, alcohols, ketones, esters, glycol ethers, glycols, specialty solvents, select inorganic chemicals and crop-protection intermediates. These materials serve industries such as coatings, adhesives and sealants, oil and gas, personal care, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and water treatment.

The company places a strong emphasis on supply-chain security and technical service, maintaining warehousing, logistics support and laboratory capabilities at its regional distribution centers.