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

Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) was the target of 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 presently 4.0 days. Approximately 4.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Barclays increased 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 analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kronos Worldwide

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KRO. Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in Kronos Worldwide during the second quarter worth about $263,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in Kronos Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $131,000. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Kronos Worldwide during the second quarter valued at $783,000. Sei Investments Co. acquired a new stake in Kronos Worldwide during the second quarter worth approximately $184,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $175,000. Institutional investors own 15.11% of the company’s stock.

Kronos Worldwide Trading Down 0.4 %

KRO traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $12.40. The stock had a trading volume of 54,332 shares, compared to its average volume of 237,008. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -53.87 and a beta of 1.15. Kronos Worldwide has a 52 week low of $6.16 and a 52 week high of $14.50. 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.07.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $500.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $504.19 million. Kronos Worldwide had a return on equity of 0.24% and a net margin of 0.11%. On average, equities analysts predict that Kronos Worldwide will post 0.88 EPS for the current year.

Kronos Worldwide Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 6th. Kronos Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently -86.96%.

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.