Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 78,695 Shares of NPK International Inc. $NPKI

Lazard Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in NPK International Inc. (NYSE:NPKI) by 33.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 158,527 shares of the company’s stock after selling 78,695 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.19% of NPK International worth $2,297,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of NPK International by 26,725.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 2,138 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of NPK International during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in NPK International during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new position in NPK International during the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in NPK International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at NPK International

In other NPK International news, VP Lori Briggs sold 10,446 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.58, for a total transaction of $152,302.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 255,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,725,044.20. The trade was a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Michael A. Lewis sold 2,013 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.30, for a total value of $30,798.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 129,320 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,978,596. The trade was a 1.53% 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 188,159 shares of company stock worth $2,721,117. Corporate insiders own 4.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on NPKI shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of NPK International from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating on shares of NPK International in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $14.17.

NPK International Stock Up 0.1%

NPKI opened at $12.50 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. NPK International Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.63 and a 1-year high of $16.50. The company has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 25.00 and a beta of 1.26. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.51.

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

NPK International Company Profile

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.