Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $17.33, but opened at $17.99. Valhi shares last traded at $18.46, with a volume of 6,366 shares traded.

Valhi Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $497.23 million, a PE ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.87.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $480.90 million for the quarter. Valhi had a return on equity of 6.90% and a net margin of 4.29%.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Valhi’s payout ratio is 8.47%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its position in shares of Valhi by 105.8% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 1,279 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valhi during the 4th quarter valued at about $315,000. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valhi during the 4th quarter valued at about $203,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valhi by 52.9% during the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 50,414 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,179,000 after buying an additional 17,439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valhi by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 234,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,496,000 after buying an additional 2,600 shares in the last quarter. 3.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.