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

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down before the market opened 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 Ratings Changes

VHI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Valhi from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th.

Valhi Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $935.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,653.00 and a beta of 1.28. 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 stock's 50-day moving average is $25.89 and its 200-day moving average is $20.16.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $559.70 million during the quarter. Valhi had a return on equity of 2.02% and a net margin of 1.27%.

Valhi Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. Valhi's payout ratio is currently 1,600.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valhi

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Valhi stock. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI - Free Report) by 8.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 117,129 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,750 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.41% of Valhi worth $2,012,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. 3.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.