Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

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

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

Valhi Stock Performance

VHI opened at $13.94 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $14.29 and its 200 day moving average is $14.11. 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 has a market cap of $394.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.90 and a beta of 1.19. Valhi has a 12-month low of $11.44 and a 12-month high of $20.00.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last announced its 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is currently -15.84%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VHI. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 2,753 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position 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 valued at $907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,933 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valhi during the 4th quarter valued at $201,000. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valhi during the 4th quarter valued at $183,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Valhi by 79.9% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,520 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 3,341 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

About Valhi

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.