Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Upgraded to Strong-Buy by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valhi (NYSE:VHI) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Monday morning.

Valhi Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VHI opened at $23.34 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $660.24 million, a PE ratio of 1,167.00 and a beta of 1.27. Valhi has a fifty-two week low of $10.80 and a fifty-two week high of $23.72. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.55. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 3.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.41. Valhi had a return on equity of 2.02% and a net margin of 1.27%. The business had revenue of $559.70 million for the quarter.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is currently 1,600.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Valhi stock. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) by 28.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,620 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 0.07% of Valhi worth $359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

Valhi Company Profile

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.