Short Interest in Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) Grows By 24.7%

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 58,500 shares, an increase of 24.7% from the August 15th total of 46,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 22,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days. Approximately 2.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valhi from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th.

Institutional Trading of Valhi

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Valhi stock. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its stake in Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) by 28.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 4,620 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned 0.07% of Valhi worth $359,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

Valhi Price Performance

VHI opened at $28.11 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $795.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,405.50 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 3.49, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $22.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.67. Valhi has a 12-month low of $10.80 and a 12-month high of $31.00.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.41. Valhi had a net margin of 1.27% and a return on equity of 2.02%. The business had revenue of $559.70 million during the quarter.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 1,600.00%.

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.