<div id="readability-page-1"><p>NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 134,662 shares,  an increase of 51.1% from the February 26th total of 89,133 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 64,324 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>NL Industries</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><h2>Hedge Funds Weigh In On NL Industries</h2><ul><li>Here's Who Wins If Trump's 50-Year Mortgages Come to Market</li></ul><p>A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NL. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of  NL Industries by 15.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 27,285 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 3,667 shares during the period.  Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in  NL Industries by 3.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 168,532 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,331,000 after buying an additional 6,032 shares in the last quarter.  Strs Ohio bought a new position in  NL Industries during the 1st quarter worth $35,000.  Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in  NL Industries by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 202,513 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,296,000 after acquiring an additional 9,952 shares during the period.  Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in  NL Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at $158,000. 10.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. </p><h2>NL Industries Stock Down 2.9%</h2><p>Shares of NL Industries stock traded down $0.17 on Friday, hitting $5.78. The stock had a trading volume of 35,234 shares, compared to its average volume of 57,174. NL Industries has a twelve month low of $5.04 and a twelve month high of $9.27. The business's 50 day moving average is $6.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.90. The stock has a market cap of $282.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.51 and a beta of 0.24. </p><ul><li>6 Mortgage REITS: How Badly Could Rising Rates Hurt Them?</li></ul><p>NL Industries (NYSE:NL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The basic materials company reported ($0.63) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.81). The firm 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%.</p><h2>NL Industries Increases Dividend</h2><p>The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This is a boost from NL Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.9%. NL Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -51.95%. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><p>A number of research firms recently commented on NL. Weiss Ratings cut NL Industries from a &#34;hold (c-)&#34; rating to a &#34;sell (d+)&#34; rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded NL Industries to a &#34;sell&#34; rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. One investment analyst  has rated the stock with a Sell rating,  According to MarketBeat.com, the company  has a consensus rating of &#34;Sell&#34;.</p><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Report on NL</b></p><h2>NL Industries Company Profile</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>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.  </p><p>NL Industries serves a global customer base, supplying feedstocks under long-term agreements and through spot transactions.</p><h2>Featured Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than NL Industries</li></ul><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in NL Industries Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider NL Industries, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and NL Industries wasn't on the list.</p><p>While NL Industries currently has a Sell rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NL) experienced a significant increase in short interest, rising 51.1% to 134,662 shares as of March 13. The days-to-cover ratio is 2.1 days, with 0.3% of shares short sold. The stock price fell 2.9% to $5.78, with a market cap of $282.41 million. NL reported a quarterly loss of ($0.63) per share, missing estimates, and announced a dividend increase to $0.10. Analysts have downgraded the stock to a consensus rating of "Sell."</p>

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