Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Gap Down to $33.37

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $33.37, but opened at $32.17. Valhi shares last traded at $32.29, with a volume of 2,368 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VHI. StockNews.com raised shares of Valhi from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Barclays raised 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 Stock Up 0.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.49 and a quick ratio of 2.24. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $25.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.07. The firm has a market cap of $914.27 million, a P/E ratio of 1,626.25 and a beta of 1.28.

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. The business had revenue of $559.70 million during the quarter. Valhi had a net margin of 1.27% and a return on equity of 2.02%.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1,600.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valhi

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Valhi stock. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) by 28.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,620 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned 0.07% of Valhi worth $359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.