Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Hits New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $11.00 to $20.00. Barclays currently has an underweight rating on the stock. Valhi traded as high as $34.33 and last traded at $34.33, with a volume of 136 shares. The stock had previously closed at $34.14.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Valhi stock. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) by 28.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund 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 0.07% of Valhi worth $359,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

Valhi Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $971.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,697.00 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $24.29 and a 200 day moving average of $19.53.

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

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1,600.00%.

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.