Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Down 4.4%

Shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) fell 4.4% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $26.42 and last traded at $26.67. 5,394 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 58% from the average session volume of 12,853 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Valhi Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $795.18 million, a PE ratio of 1,347.00 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.53. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter.

Valhi Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Valhi stock. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) by 8.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 117,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,750 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.41% of Valhi worth $2,012,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by 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.