Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Shares of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 20,691 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 3% from the previous session’s volume of 20,083 shares.The stock last traded at $17.74 and had previously closed at $17.49.

Valhi Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.03. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $513.44 million, a P/E ratio of 5.82 and a beta of 1.19.

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

Valhi Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Valhi’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.47%.

Institutional Trading of Valhi

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in shares of Valhi by 105.8% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,279 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Valhi by 322.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,129 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,389 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of Valhi by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,325 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Valhi by 276.3% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,565 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 4,086 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P bought a new position in Valhi in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $217,000. 3.83% of the stock is 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.