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

Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) was the target of a large 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 trading volume of 170,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Currently, 2.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kronos Worldwide

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

Kronos Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of Kronos Worldwide stock traded up $0.02 on Monday, hitting $9.66. The stock had a trading volume of 186,764 shares, compared to its average volume of 220,813. The stock has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.93 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s 50 day moving average is $11.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Kronos Worldwide has a twelve month low of $8.26 and a twelve month high of $14.50.

Kronos Worldwide Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Barclays lifted their price objective 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.00.

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.