NL Industries (NYSE:NL) Now Covered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of NL Industries (NYSE:NL) in a report issued on Monday. The firm issued a buy rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

NL Industries Price Performance

Shares of NL stock opened at $7.39 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.27. NL Industries has a 1-year low of $4.46 and a 1-year high of $7.40. The firm has a market cap of $360.85 million, a P/E ratio of -184.70 and a beta of 0.63.

NL Industries (NYSE:NL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter. NL Industries had a negative net margin of 1.43% and a negative return on equity of 0.59%. The company had revenue of $43.20 million for the quarter.

NL Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. This is a positive change from NL Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.33%. NL Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently -799.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NL. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC raised its position in NL Industries by 63.7% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 3,660 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,424 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its position in NL Industries by 88.2% in the first quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,226 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,981 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of NL Industries by 128.9% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 5,157 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,904 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of NL Industries by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,881 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,406 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in NL Industries by 57.8% during the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 12,895 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 4,724 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.