Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 20,182 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 24% from the previous session’s volume of 16,252 shares.The stock last traded at $26.27 and had previously closed at $24.13.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VHI has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valhi from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays upped their target price on Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th.

Valhi Trading Up 7.8 %

The stock has a market cap of $736.24 million, a PE ratio of 8.42 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.79. The business has a 50-day moving average of $32.78 and a 200 day moving average of $24.39.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.26%.

Institutional Trading of Valhi

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VHI. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valhi by 28.4% during the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 20,879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 4,620 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Valhi in the 3rd quarter valued at about $244,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valhi during the 3rd quarter valued at about $408,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valhi by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 138,849 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,633,000 after acquiring an additional 12,720 shares during the period. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valhi in the third quarter worth approximately $1,409,000. 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.