Barclays PLC Increases Position in Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)

Barclays PLC increased its stake in Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) by 322.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,389 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Valhi were worth $104,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Martingale Asset Management L P purchased a new position in Valhi during the 3rd quarter valued at about $217,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in Valhi during the 3rd quarter valued at about $244,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Valhi during the 3rd quarter valued at about $408,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in Valhi by 107.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 32,975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,100,000 after acquiring an additional 17,112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its holdings in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

Valhi Price Performance

Valhi stock opened at $22.07 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $26.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.65. Valhi, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.12 and a 12-month high of $41.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $624.47 million, a P/E ratio of 7.07 and a beta of 1.22.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.