Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy”

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

Separately, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th.

Valhi Price Performance

NYSE VHI opened at $26.33 on Monday. 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 1 year low of $12.12 and a 1 year high of $41.75. The company has a market cap of $745.01 million, a PE ratio of 8.44 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $32.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.19.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Valhi’s payout ratio is 10.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VHI. Martingale Asset Management L P purchased a new stake in shares of Valhi in the third quarter worth approximately $217,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Valhi in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $244,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valhi by 28.4% during the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 20,879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $359,000 after buying an additional 4,620 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valhi during the 3rd quarter valued at $408,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valhi in the third quarter worth $1,409,000. 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.