Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Shares of 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Valhi Trading Down 2.5 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $982.58 million, a P/E ratio of 38.58 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $28.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.29. The company has a current ratio of 3.49, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

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

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.56%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VHI. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in Valhi in the 3rd quarter worth $244,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valhi by 28.4% during the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 20,879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 4,620 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Valhi by 8.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 117,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,012,000 after purchasing an additional 8,750 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.