Short Interest in Kronos Worldwide Inc (NYSE:KRO) Grows By 28.2%

Kronos Worldwide Inc (NYSE:KRO) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,108,438 shares, a growth of 28.2% from the February 26th total of 1,644,486 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 406,626 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.2 days. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Down 0.3%

KRO opened at $6.41 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $737.49 million, a PE ratio of -6.68 and a beta of 1.12. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 2.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Kronos Worldwide has a 52 week low of $4.08 and a 52 week high of $7.90.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.72) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by ($0.46). Kronos Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 11.72% and a negative net margin of 5.96%.The firm had revenue of $418.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $373.26 million.

Kronos Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Kronos Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently -20.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on KRO shares. Zacks Research lowered Kronos Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Kronos Worldwide in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Kronos Worldwide from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus target price of $6.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 478.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 125,969 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $942,000 after purchasing an additional 104,202 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 220,663 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,651,000 after buying an additional 22,046 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 20.3% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 24,368 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $182,000 after acquiring an additional 4,104 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Kronos Worldwide by 2.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 527,839 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,273,000 after acquiring an additional 12,260 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning grew its position in Kronos Worldwide by 13.1% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 42,064 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 4,857 shares in the last quarter. 15.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Kronos Worldwide

Kronos Worldwide, Inc is a leading global producer of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) pigments, a white pigment widely used in paints, coatings, plastics, paper, and many other industrial and consumer applications. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company markets its products under the “Kronos” brand and has built a reputation for high-quality pigment performance, technical support, and reliable supply. Kronos serves a diverse customer base across coatings manufacturers, plastic compounders, and paper producers, delivering solutions tailored to enhance opacity, color strength, and durability.

In addition to its core TiO₂ offerings, Kronos produces and markets iron oxide pigments and zircon-based specialty chemicals, expanding its portfolio to meet the needs of markets such as construction, ceramics, and glass.