Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.70 EPS

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.70), FiscalAI reports. Valhi had a negative return on equity of 4.27% and a negative net margin of 3.45%.The company had revenue of $560.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.20 million.

Valhi Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VHI traded up $0.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.62. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 17,649 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,943. The company has a 50-day moving average of $14.07 and a 200-day moving average of $13.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.80 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The firm has a market cap of $413.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.75 and a beta of 0.99. Valhi has a 12 month low of $11.44 and a 12 month high of $20.00.

Valhi Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is -12.60%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Valhi by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 144,202 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,343,000 after purchasing an additional 2,753 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Valhi by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 59,303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $715,000 after buying an additional 1,116 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valhi in the fourth quarter worth about $201,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Valhi in the fourth quarter worth about $183,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Valhi by 79.9% in the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,520 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 3,341 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.