On the stock market since 1980, it operates in the world of heavy industry. It has 2,812 employees. Now — the numbers.
The company closed last year at a loss: costs ran above sales. The picture changes only if spending is reined in.
That much dependence is a risk in itself: if this one line weakens, the whole company feels it directly.
Before the clock runs out, either sales must climb sharply or new money must come in. For now, time is on the company’s side.
We compared this company with its own sector across five subjects.
A score of 50 means class average.
Clearly below the class average.
Debt is low and cash is strong; the finances stand solid.
Clearly below the class average.
Clearly below the class average.
Clearly below the class average.
Growth: Sales growth trails the sector average.
Business Quality: Profit power and business quality trail similar companies in the sector.
The stock trades 44% below its peak. The market has trimmed its expectations for the company.
The company sells $158.3M a year; the problem isn’t sales — it’s costs running above that number.
There is $113.7M in the vault; even if every debt were paid off, $113.2M would remain.
Over the last 12 months, company executives reported 43 buys and 0 sells. Management buying with its own money is usually read as a good sign.
A loss of $37.8M against $158.3M in annual sales.
The growth engine is running at low revs right now. Report-card grade: 8/100.
Measured against its sector, the quality of the business sits below the class average. Report-card grade: 28/100.
On our five-subject report card, NL sits behind the class. A low grade doesn’t mean “doomed” — it means “big claim, small proof.”
The takeaway: NL is a small company that closed last year at a loss. The road back to profit runs through spending discipline.
The total grade weighs these five subjects against the sector — it isn’t a simple average of the five.