Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) Short Interest Up 13.2% in July

Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 851,900 shares, a growth of 13.2% from the June 30th total of 752,300 shares. Approximately 4.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 235,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE KRO traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $11.96. 361,606 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 246,829. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 3.68. Kronos Worldwide has a 52 week low of $6.16 and a 52 week high of $14.50. The company has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -52.00 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $12.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.46.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.03. Kronos Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 3.13% and a negative net margin of 1.50%. The company had revenue of $478.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $454.64 million. Research analysts anticipate that Kronos Worldwide will post 0.96 EPS for the current year.

Kronos Worldwide Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 19th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. Kronos Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently -330.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on KRO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Kronos Worldwide from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Kronos Worldwide from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Kronos Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Kronos Worldwide from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kronos Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kronos Worldwide

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KRO. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Mirador Capital Partners LP boosted its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 56,170 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $558,000 after acquiring an additional 2,188 shares in the last quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC now owns 64,675 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $640,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 193.3% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 21,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 631.7% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 21,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 18,288 shares in the last quarter. 15.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.