Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Stock Crosses Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $12.81 and traded as high as $15.02. Valhi shares last traded at $14.7950, with a volume of 32,930 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VHI shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valhi to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Valhi in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Sell” and an average target price of $12.00.

Valhi Trading Up 3.1%

The company has a market cap of $418.70 million, a P/E ratio of 23.12 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $12.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 3.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

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

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st were paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valhi

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VHI. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Valhi in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Valhi by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 56,110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $907,000 after acquiring an additional 1,933 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,753 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Valhi by 133.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 2,786 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Valhi by 79.9% in the third 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

Valhi Company Profile

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.