Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valhi (NYSE:VHI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday.

Valhi Stock Performance

Shares of VHI opened at $17.28 on Monday. Valhi has a 12 month low of $14.20 and a 12 month high of $41.75. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $488.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.07). Valhi had a return on equity of 6.90% and a net margin of 4.29%. The business had revenue of $538.60 million for the quarter.

Valhi Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.47%.

Institutional Trading of Valhi

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Valhi by 6,670.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,601 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its position in shares of Valhi by 105.8% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,279 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Valhi by 322.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,389 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 469 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Valhi by 276.3% in 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 period. 3.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.