Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Upgraded to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valhi (NYSE:VHI) to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday morning.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Valhi in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Sell” and a consensus price target of $12.00.

Valhi Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:VHI opened at $14.06 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 3.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $12.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.90. The company has a market cap of $397.78 million, a PE ratio of 21.96 and a beta of 1.18. Valhi has a fifty-two week low of $11.44 and a fifty-two week high of $25.25.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported ($0.33) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.83 by ($1.16). The firm had revenue of $503.50 million during the quarter. Valhi had a net margin of 0.89% and a return on equity of 2.22%.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Valhi’s payout ratio is 50.00%.

Institutional Trading of Valhi

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VHI. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valhi by 1.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 144,202 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,343,000 after buying an additional 2,753 shares during the period. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Valhi in the 1st quarter worth approximately $289,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valhi by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 56,110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,933 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Valhi by 133.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 2,786 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valhi in the second quarter valued at $31,000. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valhi Company Profile

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.