Short Interest in Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) Rises By 17.5%

Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,060,000 shares, an increase of 17.5% from the August 31st total of 902,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 261,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.0 days. Approximately 4.9% of the company's stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Kronos Worldwide from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company 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 given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kronos Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.00.

Kronos Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of KRO stock remained flat at $12.45 on Monday. 133,290 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 237,428. Kronos Worldwide has a 52 week low of $6.16 and a 52 week high of $14.50. The company's 50-day moving average is $11.32 and its 200 day moving average is $12.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 3.61. The company has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a PE ratio of -53.87 and a beta of 1.15.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.04). Kronos Worldwide had a return on equity of 0.24% and a net margin of 0.11%. The company had revenue of $500.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $504.19 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Kronos Worldwide will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kronos Worldwide Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 19th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. Kronos Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -86.96%.

Institutional Trading of Kronos Worldwide

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KRO. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,801,767 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $27,851,000 after buying an additional 66,081 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the first quarter valued at approximately $960,000. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the first quarter valued at approximately $134,000. Mirador Capital Partners LP raised its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 3.2% in the first quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 57,995 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $684,000 after purchasing an additional 1,825 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 661.7% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 40,606 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 35,275 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.11% of the company's stock.

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.