Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $33.78, but opened at $35.61. Valhi shares last traded at $35.61, with a volume of 508 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Valhi from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th.

Valhi Trading Up 1.2 %

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.04. The company has a current ratio of 3.49, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 1,780.50 and a beta of 1.29.

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

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Valhi’s payout ratio is 1,600.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valhi

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VHI. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Valhi during the 3rd quarter valued at $244,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valhi by 28.4% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 20,879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $359,000 after acquiring an additional 4,620 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Valhi by 8.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 117,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,012,000 after acquiring an additional 8,750 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.