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

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $22.57, but opened at $23.15. Valhi shares last traded at $23.40, with a volume of 3,602 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on VHI. StockNews.com lowered shares of Valhi from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th.

Valhi Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $28.14 and a 200-day moving average of $25.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $671.16 million, a P/E ratio of 7.60 and a beta of 1.20.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.35%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is 10.26%.

Institutional Trading of Valhi

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VHI. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Valhi by 10.1% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 138,849 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,633,000 after purchasing an additional 12,720 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Valhi by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 53,827 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,796,000 after acquiring an additional 1,794 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in Valhi during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,409,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Valhi by 3.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,586 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after buying an additional 1,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valhi by 107.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 32,975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,100,000 after buying an additional 17,112 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

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.