Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Share Price Passes Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)’s share price crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred 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 changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Valhi Stock Down 3.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 3.25 and a quick ratio of 1.74. The firm has a market cap of $370.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.16 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $14.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.68.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 3.45% and a negative return on equity of 4.29%. The firm had revenue of $560.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $564.20 million.

Valhi Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is -12.60%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valhi during the fourth quarter valued at $201,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of Valhi by 46.1% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,722 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 859 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valhi during the fourth quarter valued at $183,000. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in shares of Valhi by 145.0% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,006 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 4,146 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valhi during the fourth quarter valued at $80,000. 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.