Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Valhi, Inc. (NYSE:VHI) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $40.45 and last traded at $40.45, with a volume of 8521 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.67.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on VHI. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Valhi from $11.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valhi from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th.

Valhi Trading Up 6.8 %

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $32.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a current ratio of 3.49. The company has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.89 and a beta of 1.29.

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.41. Valhi had a net margin of 1.27% and a return on equity of 2.02%. The business had revenue of $559.70 million for the quarter.

Valhi Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a $0.08 dividend. 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 0.78%. Valhi’s payout ratio is presently 35.56%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in Valhi in the 3rd quarter worth $1,409,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Valhi by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 138,849 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,633,000 after purchasing an additional 12,720 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valhi in the 3rd quarter worth $408,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Valhi in the 3rd quarter worth $244,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its position in Valhi by 28.4% in the 1st 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. 3.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.