Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

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

Valhi Stock Performance

Shares of VHI stock opened at $15.17 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $16.80 and a 200 day moving average of $21.48. Valhi has a 52 week low of $14.20 and a 52 week high of $41.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $429.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

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

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in Valhi during the first quarter valued at $1,011,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in Valhi by 11.2% during the first quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 18,512 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 1,870 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valhi by 6,670.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,601 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Valhi by 105.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,279 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in shares of Valhi during the fourth quarter valued at $315,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

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.