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

Lazard Asset Management LLC decreased its position in shares of NPK International Inc. (NYSE:NPKI) by 33.2% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 158,527 shares of the company’s stock after selling 78,695 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in NPK International were worth $2,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of NPK International in the second quarter worth about $141,000. Creative Planning purchased a new stake in shares of NPK International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $270,000. Cetera Investment Advisers bought a new stake in NPK International in the second quarter worth $191,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in NPK International during the second quarter valued at $633,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in NPK International during the second quarter valued at $710,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at NPK International

In other news, VP Lori Briggs sold 8,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.75, for a total transaction of $122,793.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 247,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,645,683.75. The trade was a 3.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 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 transaction of $30,798.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 129,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,978,596. The trade was a 1.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 188,159 shares of company stock worth $2,721,117. 4.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

NPK International Price Performance

Shares of NPKI stock opened at $12.50 on Monday. NPK International Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.63 and a 52-week high of $16.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.00 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $14.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.51.

NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $81.58 million for the quarter. NPK International had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 14.19%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that NPK International Inc. will post 0.55 earnings per share 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.