Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valhi (NYSE:VHI) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Valhi from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

Valhi Stock Up 13.6%

VHI stock opened at $16.24 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $459.92 million, a P/E ratio of 324.86 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 3.37 and a quick ratio of 1.90. Valhi has a 1-year low of $11.44 and a 1-year high of $19.19. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $15.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.76.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.21. Valhi had a return on equity of 0.09% and a net margin of 0.06%. The company had revenue of $589.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $592.30 million.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Valhi’s payout ratio is currently -17.88%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Valhi during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,776,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Valhi during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,055,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Valhi in the second quarter worth about $687,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Valhi in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $321,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Valhi during the second quarter valued at $148,000. Institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

Valhi Company Profile

Valhi, Inc is a diversified holding company with interests in chemicals, component products and other industrial businesses. Its operations are conducted primarily through majority-owned subsidiaries, including Kronos Worldwide, Inc, a global producer and marketer of titanium dioxide pigments used to provide whiteness, brightness and opacity in products such as coatings, plastics, paper and inks.

Through CompX International Inc, Valhi also participates in the component-products industry.