Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Trading Down 4.4%

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)’s share price was down 4.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $26.42 and last traded at $26.67. Approximately 5,394 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 12,853 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Valhi Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $767.50 million, a P/E ratio of 1,392.50 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 3.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.41.

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

Valhi Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. Valhi’s payout ratio is 1,600.00%.

Institutional Trading of Valhi

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Valhi stock. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) by 28.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring 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.

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.