Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Raised to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Valhi from "sell" to "hold", but Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" and the consensus remains a Sell with an average target price of $12.00.
• Valhi posted a large quarterly EPS miss — ($1.86) vs. $0.86 expected — and showed negative return on equity and net margin; the stock trades around $13.59 with a market cap near $385 million and a negative P/E.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Valhi in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Sell" and an average target price of $12.00.

Valhi Stock Down 1.6%

Valhi stock opened at $13.59 on Friday. Valhi has a one year low of $11.44 and a one year high of $20.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $14.26 and a 200 day moving average of $14.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.80. The stock has a market cap of $384.57 million, a PE ratio of -6.73 and a beta of 1.19.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The basic materials company reported ($1.86) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.86 by ($2.72). Valhi had a negative return on equity of 3.20% and a negative net margin of 2.77%.The firm had revenue of $494.50 million during the quarter.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Valhi in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in Valhi by 46.1% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,722 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Valhi by 133.9% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,867 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 2,786 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valhi in the fourth quarter worth approximately $80,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of Valhi by 145.0% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,006 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 4,146 shares in the last quarter. 3.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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