Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

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

Valhi Trading Down 6.2%

Shares of Valhi stock opened at $15.17 on Monday. Valhi has a 12-month low of $14.20 and a 12-month high of $41.75. The company has a market cap of $429.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $16.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.48.

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

Valhi Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Valhi’s payout ratio is 7.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in shares of Valhi by 105.8% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,279 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Valhi by 322.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,389 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Valhi by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,325 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Valhi by 276.3% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,565 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 4,086 shares during the last quarter. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.