Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Trading 8.1% Higher - Time to Buy?

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 8.1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $37.19 and last traded at $37.19. 11,411 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 13,977 shares. The stock had previously closed at $34.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VHI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays increased their price target on Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com raised Valhi from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th.

Valhi Stock Up 5.2 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $31.02 and a 200 day moving average of $22.40. The firm has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.32 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 3.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

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

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 26th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.88%. Valhi's payout ratio is currently 35.56%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valhi by 28.4% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 20,879 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 4,620 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Valhi in the third quarter valued at approximately $244,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valhi by 8.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 117,129 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,012,000 after purchasing an additional 8,750 shares in the last quarter. 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.

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