Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $22.57, but opened at $23.15. Valhi shares last traded at $23.40, with a volume of 3,602 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VHI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com lowered Valhi from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Valhi Price Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.79. The company has a market capitalization of $661.82 million, a P/E ratio of 7.50 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Valhi Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Valhi’s payout ratio is 10.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its position in Valhi by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,586 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 1,307 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valhi by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 53,827 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,796,000 after purchasing an additional 1,794 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Valhi by 322.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,389 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P acquired a new stake in Valhi in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Valhi during the third quarter worth approximately $244,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

Valhi Company Profile

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.