Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Share Price Crosses Below 200 Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $18.66 and traded as low as $15.33. Valhi shares last traded at $15.76, with a volume of 30,647 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on VHI. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Valhi from $20.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen raised Valhi from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th.

Valhi Trading Up 7.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 2.67. The firm has a market cap of $478.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.52.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $538.60 million for the quarter. Valhi had a return on equity of 8.60% and a net margin of 5.54%.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Valhi's dividend payout ratio is 7.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VHI. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Valhi by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,325 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 469 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Valhi by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 20,386 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 6,117 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Valhi by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 8,845 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $207,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Valhi by 276.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,565 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 4,086 shares during the last quarter. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Valhi by 105.9% during the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 27,402 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $641,000 after purchasing an additional 14,091 shares during the period. 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.