Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Share Price Crosses Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $13.68 and traded as low as $12.85. Valhi shares last traded at $13.10, with a volume of 40,504 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Valhi from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Valhi in a report on Friday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Sell” and an average price target of $12.00.

Valhi Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $363.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.05 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 3.25 and a quick ratio of 1.74.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $560.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.20 million.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -12.60%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valhi

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VHI. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in Valhi by 46.1% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,722 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 859 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Valhi by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 59,303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $715,000 after buying an additional 1,116 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Valhi in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Valhi by 1.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 144,202 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,343,000 after purchasing an additional 2,753 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 2,786 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.