Teacher Retirement System of Texas Purchases 16,866 Shares of Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:KRO) by 31.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,889 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,866 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned approximately 0.06% of Kronos Worldwide worth $691,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 80.4% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,412,106 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $13,765,000 after buying an additional 629,387 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in Kronos Worldwide in the third quarter valued at about $2,824,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 39.0% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 314,862 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,920,000 after purchasing an additional 88,277 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management bought a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the 3rd quarter valued at $632,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in 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 worth $897,000 after buying an additional 36,139 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.11% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Kronos Worldwide news, Director Kevin B. Kramer bought 14,000 shares of Kronos Worldwide stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $7.43 per share, with a total value of $104,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,460 shares in the company, valued at $159,447.80. The trade was a 187.67 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.11% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Performance

NYSE KRO opened at $7.59 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $8.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.22. Kronos Worldwide, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.17 and a 1 year high of $14.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $872.55 million, a P/E ratio of 9.36 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.12) earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $423.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $494.19 million.

Kronos Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. Kronos Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.