Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Share Price Crosses Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report) crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $19.40 and traded as low as $14.53. Valhi shares last traded at $14.63, with a volume of 31,998 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on VHI. Wall Street Zen raised Valhi from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Valhi from $20.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th.

Valhi Trading Up 6.3%

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $16.01 and a 200 day moving average of $19.20. The company has a market cap of $465.74 million, a P/E ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $538.60 million for the quarter. Valhi had a return on equity of 6.90% and a net margin of 4.29%.

Valhi Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Valhi's payout ratio is 7.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Valhi by 6,670.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,601 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in Valhi by 105.8% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,488 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 1,279 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Valhi by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,325 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Valhi by 276.3% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,565 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $130,000 after acquiring an additional 4,086 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in shares of Valhi during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.83% of the company's stock.

About Valhi

Valhi, Inc engages in the chemicals, component products, and real estate management and development businesses in Europe, North America, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company's Chemicals segment produces and markets titanium dioxide pigments (TiO2), which are white inorganic pigments used in various applications by paint, plastics, decorative laminate, and paper manufacturers.