Short Interest in Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) Decreases By 14.1%

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 52,096 shares, a decrease of 14.1% from the March 31st total of 60,617 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 8,053 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.5 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VHI. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valhi from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Valhi in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Valhi presently has an average rating of “Sell” and a consensus price target of $12.00.

Valhi Stock Up 1.0%

NYSE VHI opened at $15.20 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $430.16 million, a PE ratio of -7.52 and a beta of 0.99. Valhi has a one year low of $11.44 and a one year high of $20.00. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.80 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The basic materials company reported ($1.86) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by ($2.72). The business had revenue of $494.50 million for the quarter. Valhi had a negative return on equity of 3.20% and a negative net margin of 2.77%.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is -15.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valhi

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Valhi by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 144,202 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,343,000 after acquiring an additional 2,753 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Valhi by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 59,303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in Valhi during the 4th quarter worth approximately $201,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in Valhi during the 4th quarter worth approximately $183,000. Finally, Mission Wealth Management LP acquired a new position in Valhi during the 3rd quarter worth $228,000. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valhi Company Profile

Valhi, Inc is a diversified holding company incorporated in Delaware in 1987 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Through its three wholly owned subsidiaries—Kronos Worldwide, CompX International and NL Industries—Valhi participates in the manufacture and distribution of chemical and security products for industrial, commercial and consumer markets.

Kronos Worldwide is a leading independent producer of titanium dioxide pigment, a white powder that enhances brightness and opacity in paints, coatings, plastics, paper and other applications.