Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Sees Large Volume Increase on Analyst Upgrade

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $11.00 to $20.00. Barclays currently has an underweight rating on the stock. 7,112 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 46% from the previous session's volume of 13,114 shares.The stock last traded at $30.81 and had previously closed at $29.51.

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Separately, StockNews.com raised Valhi from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th.

Read Our Latest Report on VHI

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Valhi stock. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI - Free Report) by 28.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,879 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 4,620 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Valhi worth $359,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Valhi Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 3.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $960.50 million, a P/E ratio of 1,707.00 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.43.

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

Valhi Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. Valhi's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 1,600.00%.

Valhi Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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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