Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $26.33, but opened at $23.29. Valhi shares last traded at $24.20, with a volume of 40,795 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com lowered Valhi from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th.

Valhi Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $682.88 million, a PE ratio of 7.73 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $32.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.32.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.26%.

Institutional Trading of Valhi

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Valhi by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,586 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in 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 during the period. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Valhi by 322.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,389 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P purchased a new position in shares of Valhi in the third quarter valued at $217,000. 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.