Aristides Capital LLC Has $3.32 Million Stock Holdings in NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL)

Aristides Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 426,626 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,313 shares during the period. NL Industries makes up approximately 0.7% of Aristides Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Aristides Capital LLC’s holdings in NL Industries were worth $3,315,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of NL Industries by 311.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 9,033 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in NL Industries by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 14,816 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $115,000 after acquiring an additional 2,217 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in NL Industries in the fourth quarter worth $159,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in NL Industries by 112.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 22,357 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 11,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of NL Industries by 1,454.4% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 22,492 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 21,045 shares during the period. 10.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at NL Industries

In related news, Director Kevin B. Kramer purchased 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $6.59 per share, with a total value of $42,835.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,616.50. This represents a 228.07 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

NL Industries Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:NL opened at $7.25 on Friday. NL Industries, Inc. has a twelve month low of $5.20 and a twelve month high of $9.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $7.39 and its 200-day moving average is $7.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $353.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.04 and a beta of 0.56.

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

NL Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a $0.09 dividend. This is a boost from NL Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.97%. NL Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded NL Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th.

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.