Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. Decreases Stake in NPK International Inc. $NPKI

Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of NPK International Inc. (NYSE:NPKI) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,852,804 shares of the company’s stock after selling 41,922 shares during the period. NPK International makes up about 1.3% of Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. owned about 2.19% of NPK International worth $22,085,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NPKI. Granahan Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of NPK International by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Granahan Investment Management LLC now owns 580,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,919,000 after buying an additional 80,507 shares during the last quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board raised its stake in shares of NPK International by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 93,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,119,000 after buying an additional 6,275 shares during the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of NPK International by 24.6% during the 4th quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 45,768 shares of the company’s stock worth $546,000 after buying an additional 9,044 shares during the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of NPK International during the 4th quarter worth $382,000. Finally, Rothschild Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of NPK International during the 4th quarter worth $1,651,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on NPKI shares. Weiss Ratings raised NPK International from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of NPK International in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michael A. Lewis sold 2,013 shares of NPK International 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 sale, the director owned 129,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,978,596. This trade represents a 1.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Lori Briggs sold 8,325 shares of NPK International stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.75, for a total value of $122,793.75. Following the sale, the vice president owned 247,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,645,683.75. This represents a 3.26% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 238,159 shares of company stock worth $3,454,567. 4.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

NPK International Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:NPKI opened at $14.82 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of 32.22 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. NPK International Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.17 and a 52-week high of $16.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.04.

NPK International (NYSE:NPKI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $75.07 million during the quarter. NPK International had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 13.71%. On average, equities research analysts expect that NPK International Inc. will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NPK International 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.