Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) Short Interest Update

Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 499,900 shares, a decrease of 17.7% from the November 30th total of 607,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 170,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days. Currently, 2.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Kronos Worldwide Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of Kronos Worldwide stock traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $9.64. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 158,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 220,949. The company has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $11.03 and a 200 day moving average of $11.59. Kronos Worldwide has a 12 month low of $8.26 and a 12 month high of $14.50.

Kronos Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Kronos Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 24.69%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide during the third quarter worth about $2,824,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 136.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 360,677 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,526,000 after acquiring an additional 208,256 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Kronos Worldwide during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,521,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,937,071 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $36,860,000 after acquiring an additional 103,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 39.0% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 314,862 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,920,000 after purchasing an additional 88,277 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.11% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Kronos Worldwide from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kronos Worldwide presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.00.

About Kronos Worldwide

Kronos Worldwide, Inc produces and markets titanium dioxide pigments (TiO2) in Europe, North America, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company produces TiO2 in two crystalline forms, rutile and anatase to impart whiteness, brightness, opacity, and durability for various products, including paints, coatings, plastics, paper, fibers, and ceramics, as well as for various specialty products, such as inks, foods, and cosmetics.