New York State Common Retirement Fund Lowers Holdings in Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)

New York State Common Retirement Fund decreased its stake in Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) by 23.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,622 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 800 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Valhi were worth $61,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VHI. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in Valhi during the third quarter worth approximately $1,409,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its position in Valhi by 107.9% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 32,975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,100,000 after purchasing an additional 17,112 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Valhi by 10.1% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 138,849 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,633,000 after purchasing an additional 12,720 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Valhi during the third quarter worth approximately $408,000. Finally, Greenwood Gearhart Inc. purchased a new position in Valhi during the third quarter worth approximately $268,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Valhi from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th.

Valhi Price Performance

Shares of Valhi stock opened at $16.44 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.52. Valhi, Inc. has a 12 month low of $12.90 and a 12 month high of $41.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $465.17 million, a P/E ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.20. Valhi had a return on equity of 6.90% and a net margin of 4.29%. The business had revenue of $480.90 million during the quarter.

Valhi Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. Valhi’s payout ratio is currently 10.26%.

Valhi 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.