Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Price Target Lowered to $12.00 at Barclays

Valhi (NYSE:VHI - Free Report) had its price objective trimmed by Barclays from $20.00 to $12.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an underweight rating on the basic materials company's stock.

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised Valhi from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th.

Valhi Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VHI traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $14.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,470 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,852. The company has a market cap of $414.95 million, a P/E ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 1.33. Valhi has a 12-month low of $14.20 and a 12-month high of $41.75. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $16.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.79.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.07). Valhi had a net margin of 4.29% and a return on equity of 6.90%. The firm had revenue of $538.60 million for the quarter.

Valhi Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. Valhi's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.80%.

Institutional Trading of Valhi

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Valhi by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 131,217 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,069,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Valhi by 105.9% during the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 27,402 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $641,000 after purchasing an additional 14,091 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Valhi by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 20,386 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 6,117 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Valhi by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,121 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,009,000 after purchasing an additional 6,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in Valhi by 52.9% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 50,414 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,179,000 after purchasing an additional 17,439 shares during the last quarter. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.