Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 20,182 shares were traded 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Valhi from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th.

Valhi Trading Up 7.8 %

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.39. The company has a market capitalization of $736.24 million, a PE ratio of 8.42 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VHI. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Valhi by 322.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 2,389 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P acquired a new stake in Valhi in the third quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Valhi during the third quarter valued at approximately $244,000. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valhi during the third quarter worth $268,000. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valhi in the third quarter valued at $408,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

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.