Renaissance Technologies LLC Acquires 31,830 Shares of Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO)

Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 734,230 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,830 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Kronos Worldwide were worth $7,159,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Kronos Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the fourth quarter worth $104,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $180,000. 15.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Kronos Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th.

Kronos Worldwide Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of KRO opened at $6.88 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $791.45 million, a P/E ratio of 8.49 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Kronos Worldwide, Inc. has a 1 year low of $6.19 and a 1 year high of $14.50. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.69.

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

Kronos Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. Kronos Worldwide’s payout ratio is presently 27.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kronos Worldwide

In other news, Director Kevin B. Kramer bought 14,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $7.43 per share, for a total transaction of $104,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $159,447.80. The trade was a 187.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kronos Worldwide 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.