Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valhi (NYSE:VHI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

Valhi Price Performance

VHI stock opened at $15.72 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $444.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.67. Valhi has a 1 year low of $14.20 and a 1 year high of $41.75.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $538.60 million for 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. Valhi’s payout ratio is presently 7.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Valhi by 6,670.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,601 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in Valhi by 105.8% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 1,279 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Valhi by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,325 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its position in Valhi by 322.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,389 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Valhi by 276.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,565 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $130,000 after acquiring an additional 4,086 shares during the last quarter. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valhi Company Profile

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.