Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $17.65 and last traded at $17.9790, with a volume of 15405 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $16.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised Valhi from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valhi currently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Valhi Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $14.61 and its 200 day moving average is $14.33. The stock has a market cap of $497.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.81 and a beta of 0.97. 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 (NYSE:VHI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.96 by ($0.18). Valhi had a negative return on equity of 2.77% and a negative net margin of 2.36%.The company had revenue of $606.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $606.10 million.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is presently -17.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valhi

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Valhi during the second quarter worth $2,776,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valhi in the second quarter worth $2,055,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Valhi in the second quarter valued at $687,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Valhi in the second quarter valued at $321,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valhi during the fourth quarter valued at $201,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

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.