Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $17.33, but opened at $17.99. Valhi shares last traded at $18.46, with a volume of 6,366 shares changing hands.

Valhi Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The firm has a market cap of $497.23 million, a PE ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.87.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.20. Valhi had a return on equity of 6.90% and a net margin of 4.29%. The firm had revenue of $480.90 million during the quarter.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Valhi’s payout ratio is presently 8.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valhi

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VHI. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in shares of Valhi during the third quarter valued at $1,409,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in Valhi by 52.9% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 50,414 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,179,000 after buying an additional 17,439 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Valhi by 105.9% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 27,402 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $641,000 after buying an additional 14,091 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in Valhi in the 4th quarter worth about $315,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in Valhi in the 4th quarter worth about $203,000. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.