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

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valhi (NYSE:VHI - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday morning.

Valhi Stock Performance

Valhi stock traded up $0.09 on Monday, reaching $15.44. 8,599 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,738. The stock has a market cap of $436.87 million, a PE ratio of 4.95 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. Valhi has a twelve month low of $14.20 and a twelve month high of $41.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $16.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.20.

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

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Valhi's payout ratio is 7.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valhi by 6,670.8% during the 1st 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 period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Valhi by 105.8% during the 4th 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 period. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Valhi by 322.8% during the 3rd 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 period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Valhi by 12.2% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Valhi by 276.3% during the 4th 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 period. Institutional investors own 3.83% of the company's stock.

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.