North Star Investment Management Corp. Takes $1.74 Million Position in NPK International Inc. $NPKI

North Star Investment Management Corp. bought a new stake in NPK International Inc. (NYSE:NPKI) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 120,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,739,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NPKI. Ameriprise Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of NPK International during the second quarter worth $51,903,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of NPK International by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,750,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,725,000 after buying an additional 19,663 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new stake in NPK International during the 2nd quarter worth $25,341,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in NPK International by 13.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,971,066 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,603,000 after acquiring an additional 344,658 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Conversant Capital LLC bought a new position in NPK International during the second quarter worth about $23,103,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

NPK International Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:NPKI opened at $15.88 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.53 and a beta of 1.24. NPK International Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.17 and a 12 month high of $16.50. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $75.07 million during the quarter. NPK International had a net margin of 13.71% and a return on equity of 10.56%. As a group, research analysts forecast that NPK International Inc. will post 0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at NPK International

In related news, Director Michael A. Lewis sold 2,013 shares of NPK International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.30, for a total value of $30,798.90. Following the sale, the director owned 129,320 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,978,596. This trade represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Gregg Piontek sold 15,000 shares of NPK International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.04, for a total value of $225,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 819,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,322,663.04. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 238,159 shares of company stock valued at $3,454,567. 4.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded NPK International from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of NPK International in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NPK International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.17.

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.