NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) Short Interest Update

by · The Markets Daily

NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NLGet Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 134,662 shares, a growth of 51.1% from the February 26th total of 89,133 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 64,324 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days.

NL Industries Price Performance

NL stock traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $5.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 35,234 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,451. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $6.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.90. NL Industries has a twelve month low of $5.04 and a twelve month high of $9.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $282.41 million, a P/E ratio of -7.51 and a beta of 0.24.

NL Industries (NYSE:NLGet Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The basic materials company reported ($0.63) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.81). The company had revenue of $37.70 million for the quarter. NL Industries had a negative return on equity of 9.43% and a negative net margin of 23.88%.

NL Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This is a positive change from NL Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. NL Industries’s payout ratio is presently -51.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on NL. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of NL Industries from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of NL Industries to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, NL Industries has an average rating of “Sell”.

View Our Latest Research Report on NL Industries

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,667 shares during the period. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of NL Industries during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in 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 worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 2,413 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in NL Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in NL Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at $126,000. 10.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About NL Industries

(Get Free Report)

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.

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