Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 20,691 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 3% from the previous session’s volume of 20,083 shares.The stock last traded at $17.74 and had previously closed at $17.49.

Valhi Stock Up 4.7 %

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.03. 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 firm has a market cap of $513.44 million, a PE ratio of 5.82 and a beta of 1.19.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.47%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,279 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in Valhi during the 4th quarter valued at about $315,000. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in Valhi during the 4th quarter valued at about $203,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 17,439 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 2,600 shares in the last quarter. 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.