189,224 Shares in Valhi, Inc. $VHI Purchased by BlackRock Inc.

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 189,224 Valhi shares during the second quarter, worth approximately $2.8 million and representing about 0.67% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 3.83% of Valhi.
• Valhi reported quarterly earnings of $0.78 per share, missing the $0.96 analyst consensus, while revenue of $606.1 million matched expectations. The stock carries an average analyst rating of “Sell.”
• Valhi declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, equivalent to $0.32 annually and a 1.8% yield. Shares recently opened at $17.79, within a 12-month range of $11.44 to $19.19.

BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 189,224 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,776,000. BlackRock Inc. owned about 0.67% of Valhi as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VHI. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valhi by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 144,202 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,343,000 after buying an additional 2,753 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Valhi by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 59,303 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Valhi during the second quarter worth approximately $687,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Valhi in the second quarter valued at approximately $321,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valhi during the fourth quarter worth approximately $201,000. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Valhi from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Valhi currently has an average rating of "Sell".

Valhi Stock Performance

NYSE:VHI opened at $17.79 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $503.67 million, a PE ratio of -9.94 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $15.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.48. Valhi, Inc. has a twelve month low of $11.44 and a twelve month high of $19.19.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $606.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $606.10 million.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

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

Valhi Company Profile

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.

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