StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on Valhi (NYSE:VHI)

Investment analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Valhi (NYSE:VHI) in a research report issued on Saturday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Valhi Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE VHI opened at $15.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.91, a quick ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Valhi has a 12-month low of $10.80 and a 12-month high of $17.61. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $14.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $438.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.90 and a beta of 1.40.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $453.00 million for the quarter. Valhi had a negative return on equity of 0.95% and a negative net margin of 0.63%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valhi by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,137 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in Valhi by 879.3% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,271 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 2,937 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Valhi by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 204,906 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,113,000 after purchasing an additional 7,768 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Valhi by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 38,194 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 7,801 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valhi by 35.8% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 20,492 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 5,406 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

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.