Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Rating Increased to Hold 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 reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Valhi in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Valhi has a consensus rating of “Sell” and an average target price of $12.00.

Valhi Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:VHI opened at $13.59 on Friday. Valhi has a 1 year low of $11.44 and a 1 year high of $20.00. The company has a market capitalization of $384.60 million, a PE ratio of -6.73 and a beta of 1.19. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $14.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.80 and a quick ratio of 1.76.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last released 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). The business had revenue of $494.50 million for the quarter. Valhi had a negative return on equity of 3.20% and a negative net margin of 2.77%.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid 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 is presently -15.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valhi

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VHI. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valhi during the fourth quarter valued at about $201,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in shares of Valhi by 46.1% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valhi in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $183,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Valhi by 145.0% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,006 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 4,146 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valhi during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $80,000. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.