NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Stock Price Crosses Below 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL)’s share price crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $6.04 and traded as low as $5.63. NL Industries shares last traded at $5.7280, with a volume of 71,588 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on NL shares. Wall Street Zen raised NL Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings raised NL Industries from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, NL Industries has an average rating of “Hold”.

NL Industries Stock Up 1.0%

The company has a market cap of $284.12 million, a P/E ratio of -8.43 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a fifty day moving average of $6.25 and a 200 day moving average of $6.04.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $40.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.57 million. NL Industries had a negative net margin of 21.56% and a negative return on equity of 8.74%.

NL Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 4th. NL Industries’s dividend payout ratio is -57.97%.

Institutional Trading of NL Industries

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in NL Industries by 80.4% during the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 5,985 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 2,667 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of NL Industries during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in shares of NL Industries by 34.3% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 9,445 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,413 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of NL Industries during the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of NL Industries in the 1st quarter worth $92,000. 10.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About NL Industries

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.