Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Down 6.4% – Time to Sell?

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)’s stock price traded down 6.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $23.28 and last traded at $22.53. 3,730 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 14,942 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.07.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VHI has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Valhi from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th.

Valhi Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $689.53 million, a PE ratio of 7.81 and a beta of 1.22. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $23.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.32.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The basic materials company reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $533.60 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 was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VHI. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Valhi by 322.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 2,389 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P bought a new stake in Valhi during the 3rd quarter valued at $217,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in Valhi during the 3rd quarter valued at $244,000. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valhi in the 3rd quarter valued at $268,000. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Valhi in the 3rd quarter worth $408,000. Institutional investors 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.