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

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)’s stock price crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $15.31 and traded as low as $11.65. Valhi shares last traded at $11.88, with a volume of 10,027 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Valhi in a report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Valhi has a consensus rating of “Sell” and a consensus target price of $12.00.

Valhi Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $336.20 million, a PE ratio of 18.56 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 3.64 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $13.18 and its 200 day moving average is $15.31.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported ($0.33) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.83 by ($1.16). Valhi had a return on equity of 2.22% and a net margin of 0.89%.The firm had revenue of $503.50 million during the quarter.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valhi

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Valhi by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 237,729 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,863,000 after purchasing an additional 2,753 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Valhi by 1.9% during the 1st 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 raised its holdings in shares of Valhi by 3.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 56,110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $907,000 after buying an additional 1,933 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Valhi in the first quarter worth $289,000. Finally, Mission Wealth Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Valhi during the third quarter worth $228,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

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.