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

NPK International Inc. (NYSE:NPKI) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day 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 restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of NPK International in a report on Friday, September 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.00.

NPK International Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $906.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.35 and a beta of 1.46. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.03.

NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $81.58 million during the quarter. NPK International had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 14.19%. Equities research analysts forecast that NPK International Inc. will post 0.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at NPK International

In other NPK International news, CAO Matthew James Warren sold 2,991 shares of the company’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 transaction of $40,109.31. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 51,439 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $689,796.99. This represents a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Michael A. Lewis sold 2,013 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.26, for a total value of $28,705.38. Following the sale, the director directly owned 135,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,937,434.90. The trade was a 1.46% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,004 shares of company stock valued at $203,715. Corporate insiders own 4.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NPK International

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of NPK International in the second quarter worth $239,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in NPK International by 284.6% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 50,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $803,000 after buying an additional 37,361 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in NPK International in the 2nd quarter worth $581,000. AXQ Capital LP bought a new position in NPK International in the 2nd quarter worth $774,000. Finally, XML Financial LLC raised its holdings in NPK International by 120.1% in the 2nd quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 27,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $437,000 after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

NPK International Company Profile

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.