NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Shares Pass Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $7.49 and traded as low as $6.78. NL Industries shares last traded at $6.93, with a volume of 11,889 shares changing hands.

NL Industries Stock Up 5.4 %

The company has a market cap of $356.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 0.56. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $7.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.50.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $38.40 million for the quarter. NL Industries had a net margin of 38.69% and a return on equity of 14.74%.

NL Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.93%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This is a boost from NL Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. NL Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.09%.

Institutional Trading of NL Industries

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in NL Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in NL Industries by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 9,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 2,871 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in NL Industries by 311.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 9,033 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in NL Industries by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 14,816 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 2,217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in NL Industries in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $159,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.