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

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $17.36, but opened at $18.03. Valhi shares last traded at $17.86, with a volume of 2,115 shares traded.

Valhi Trading Up 1.9 %

The company has a market capitalization of $500.71 million, a PE ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 1.19. 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 fifty day moving average price of $19.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.49.

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

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Valhi’s payout ratio is 8.47%.

Institutional Trading of Valhi

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Valhi by 3.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 53,827 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,796,000 after acquiring an additional 1,794 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Valhi by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,586 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased 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 worth $104,000 after buying an additional 2,389 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P acquired a new position in Valhi in the 3rd quarter worth $217,000. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in Valhi by 36.0% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 16,642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 4,406 shares during the last quarter. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.