Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Raised to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Valhi in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Valhi currently has an average 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. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $384.57 million, a P/E ratio of -6.73 and a beta of 1.19. Valhi has a 52 week low of $11.44 and a 52 week high of $20.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.13.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The basic materials company reported ($1.86) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by ($2.72). The firm had revenue of $494.50 million during the quarter. Valhi had a negative return on equity of 3.20% and a negative net margin of 2.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Valhi in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in 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 during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Valhi by 133.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 2,786 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valhi in the 4th quarter valued at about $80,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Valhi by 145.0% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,006 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 4,146 shares during the last quarter. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Valhi

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.