Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) Short Interest Down 15.5% in February

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 54,269 shares, a decrease of 15.5% from the February 12th total of 64,196 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 22,044 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days. Based on an average daily volume of 22,044 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VHI. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in Valhi by 46.1% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,722 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Valhi by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 59,303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $715,000 after buying an additional 1,116 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valhi during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $2,343,000 after buying an additional 2,753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 2,786 shares during the last quarter. 3.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on VHI. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Valhi in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Valhi from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valhi presently has a consensus rating of “Sell” and an average target price of $12.00.

Valhi Price Performance

Shares of VHI traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $13.36. 6,667 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,994. The company has a market cap of $378.09 million, a P/E ratio of -6.61 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $14.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.13. Valhi has a 52-week low of $11.44 and a 52-week high of $20.00.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The basic materials company reported ($1.86) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by ($2.72). Valhi had a negative net margin of 2.77% and a negative return on equity of 3.20%. The business had revenue of $494.50 million for the quarter.

Valhi Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -15.84%.

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.