Tronox (NYSE:TROX) Earns "Market Perform" Rating from BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed their market perform rating on shares of Tronox (NYSE:TROX - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $7.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $13.00.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Tronox from $14.00 to $10.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com cut Tronox from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Tronox from $12.00 to $8.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. UBS Group decreased their target price on Tronox from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Tronox from $11.50 to $7.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $9.64.

Tronox Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE TROX traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $5.25. 3,196,173 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,498,725. The stock has a market capitalization of $829.17 million, a P/E ratio of -16.93 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 2.47. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.93. Tronox has a twelve month low of $4.35 and a twelve month high of $20.70.

Tronox (NYSE:TROX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.15) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.02 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $738.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $745.96 million. Tronox had a negative net margin of 1.56% and a negative return on equity of 0.63%. Tronox's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.05) EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Tronox will post 0.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Tronox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.52%. Tronox's payout ratio is -52.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Stephen J. Jones acquired 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $7.17 per share, with a total value of $215,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $215,100. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jeffrey N. Neuman bought 10,266 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $4.89 per share, for a total transaction of $50,200.74. Following the acquisition, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,200.74. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Tronox

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TROX. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Tronox by 832.6% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,805 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 3,397 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Tronox by 59.4% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,949 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 2,590 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Tronox by 763.5% in the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,127 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 8,070 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tronox during the fourth quarter worth about $105,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Tronox by 1,186.7% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 10,731 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 9,897 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.36% of the company's stock.

About Tronox

Tronox Holdings plc operates as a vertically integrated manufacturer of TiO2 pigment in North America, South and Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates titanium-bearing mineral sand mines; and engages in beneficiation and smelting operations. It offers TiO2 pigment; ultrafine specialty TiO2; zircon; feedstock; pig iron; monazite; titanium tetrachloride; and other products.