Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Up 8.1% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) were up 8.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $37.19 and last traded at $37.19. Approximately 11,411 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 13,977 shares. The stock had previously closed at $34.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Valhi from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th.

Valhi Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,776.00 and a beta of 1.29. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.69.

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

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. Valhi’s payout ratio is 1,600.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Valhi by 8.1% during 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 during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valhi by 28.4% during the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 20,879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $359,000 after buying an additional 4,620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in Valhi in the third quarter worth approximately $244,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.