Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Rating Lowered to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday.

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

Valhi Trading Down 23.8 %

Shares of NYSE VHI traded down $9.84 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $31.46. 152,166 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,407. The company has a market capitalization of $890.18 million, a P/E ratio of 10.08 and a beta of 1.29. Valhi has a 52-week low of $11.49 and a 52-week high of $41.75. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $32.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.06.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $559.70 million during the quarter. Valhi had a net margin of 4.29% and a return on equity of 7.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valhi

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its stake in Valhi by 28.4% during the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 20,879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $359,000 after buying an additional 4,620 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Valhi during the third quarter worth approximately $244,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Valhi by 8.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 117,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,012,000 after buying an additional 8,750 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Valhi during the third quarter worth approximately $408,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in Valhi during the third quarter worth approximately $1,409,000. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.