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

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

Kronos Worldwide Stock Performance

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

Kronos Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued 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 dividend payout ratio is 24.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Barclays lifted their price target on Kronos Worldwide from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kronos Worldwide

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. nVerses Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 83.3% during the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 4,400 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Kronos Worldwide in the third quarter valued at about $67,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in Kronos Worldwide by 9,905.7% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 8,805 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 8,717 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 1,086.7% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 9,600 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $120,000 after buying an additional 8,791 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jade Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kronos Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at about $124,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.11% of the company’s stock.

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.