Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Pass Below 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $13.84 and traded as low as $13.06. Valhi shares last traded at $13.55, with a volume of 15,557 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VHI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Valhi in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valhi from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Sell”.

Valhi Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $399.60 million, a P/E ratio of -5.56 and a beta of 0.96. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.70). Valhi had a negative return on equity of 4.29% and a negative net margin of 3.45%.The business had revenue of $560.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $564.20 million.

Valhi Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is -12.60%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VHI. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Valhi by 1.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 144,202 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,343,000 after purchasing an additional 2,753 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Valhi by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 59,303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 1,116 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valhi during the 4th quarter worth $201,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valhi during the 4th quarter worth $183,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Valhi by 79.9% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,520 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 3,341 shares during the period. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Valhi

Valhi, Inc is a diversified holding company incorporated in Delaware in 1987 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Through its three wholly owned subsidiaries—Kronos Worldwide, CompX International and NL Industries—Valhi participates in the manufacture and distribution of chemical and security products for industrial, commercial and consumer markets.

Kronos Worldwide is a leading independent producer of titanium dioxide pigment, a white powder that enhances brightness and opacity in paints, coatings, plastics, paper and other applications.