Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) Short Interest Down 17.7% in December

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Kronos Worldwide from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.00.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of KRO traded up $0.09 on Tuesday, reaching $9.75. 160,980 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 220,575. The firm has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.04 and a beta of 1.13. Kronos Worldwide has a 12 month low of $8.26 and a 12 month high of $14.50. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $10.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

Kronos Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. Kronos Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently 24.69%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kronos Worldwide

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 3.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,937,071 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $36,860,000 after acquiring an additional 103,988 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in Kronos Worldwide by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 660,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $8,289,000 after buying an additional 8,400 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Kronos Worldwide by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 575,541 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,165,000 after acquiring an additional 8,218 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 136.6% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 360,677 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,526,000 after acquiring an additional 208,256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 39.0% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 314,862 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,920,000 after purchasing an additional 88,277 shares in the last quarter. 15.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kronos Worldwide Company Profile

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.