Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) Holdings Cut by AlphaQuest LLC

AlphaQuest LLC decreased its stake in Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) by 92.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,321 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 50,505 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Kronos Worldwide were worth $42,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp lifted 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 worth $7,165,000 after buying an additional 8,218 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in Kronos Worldwide by 39.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 314,862 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,920,000 after buying an additional 88,277 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in Kronos Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,824,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 183,568 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,790,000 after purchasing an additional 3,916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 100.6% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 72,074 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 36,139 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.11% of the company’s stock.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Down 0.9 %

Kronos Worldwide stock opened at $7.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $908.21 million, a P/E ratio of 9.75 and a beta of 1.16. Kronos Worldwide, Inc. has a 1-year low of $7.17 and a 1-year high of $14.50. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $8.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.36.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.19 by ($0.31). The firm had revenue of $423.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $494.19 million. Kronos Worldwide had a return on equity of 11.74% and a net margin of 5.05%.

Kronos Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. Kronos Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kronos Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kevin B. Kramer purchased 14,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $7.43 per share, for a total transaction of $104,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $159,447.80. This trade represents a 187.67 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.11% 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.