Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in 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. Approximately 2.3% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 170,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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 note on Wednesday, September 25th. Two equities 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 an average target price of $12.00.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Performance

Shares of KRO stock traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $9.64. 158,634 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 220,949. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $11.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 2.68. Kronos Worldwide has a 12-month low of $8.26 and a 12-month high of $14.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.90 and a beta of 1.13.

Kronos Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. 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 2.07%. Kronos Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.69%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KRO. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 103,988 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 1.3% during the second 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 during 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 during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position 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 during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised 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 valued at $3,920,000 after acquiring an additional 88,277 shares during the last quarter. 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.