Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Shares Gap Up – Still a 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 Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $20.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.02. 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 company has a market capitalization of $521.90 million, a PE ratio of 5.91 and a beta of 1.19.

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

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Valhi’s payout ratio is currently 8.47%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VHI. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valhi by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 234,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,496,000 after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Valhi by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 141,449 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,308,000 after acquiring an additional 2,600 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valhi by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 131,217 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,069,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valhi by 3.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 53,827 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,796,000 after purchasing an additional 1,794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in Valhi by 52.9% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 50,414 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,179,000 after purchasing an additional 17,439 shares during the period. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.