Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) saw strong 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 were traded during mid-day 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.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valhi from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valhi

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Valhi stock. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) by 28.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,620 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned 0.07% of Valhi worth $359,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

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 fifty day simple moving average of $24.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.63. The company has a market capitalization of $969.70 million, a P/E ratio of 1,713.25 and a beta of 1.28.

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

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 issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is 1,600.00%.

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.