Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Sets New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Kronos Worldwide shares reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $8.90 before closing near $8.55. The stock remains above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating is “Hold” with an average price target of $8.00, despite upgrades from Wall Street Zen and Zacks Research and a reiterated “Sell” rating from Goldman Sachs.
• Kronos beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.13 in EPS versus $0.07 expected and revenue of $558.1 million versus $484.5 million expected. The company also declared a $0.05 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 2.4% annualized yield.

Kronos Worldwide Inc (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $8.90 and last traded at $8.5450, with a volume of 21054 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Kronos Worldwide from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "sell" rating and set a $8.00 target price on shares of Kronos Worldwide in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised Kronos Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Kronos Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kronos Worldwide has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $8.00.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 3.30 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $966.72 million, a P/E ratio of -8.82 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $6.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $6.46.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $558.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $484.51 million. Kronos Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 12.28% and a negative net margin of 5.63%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kronos Worldwide Inc will post -0.33 EPS for the current year.

Kronos Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. Kronos Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is currently -21.05%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kronos Worldwide

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KRO. Group One Trading LLC bought a new stake in Kronos Worldwide during the second quarter valued at $41,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Jain Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 68.1% in the 4th quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd now owns 11,600 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 4,700 shares during the period. Finally, Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.11% of the company's stock.

Kronos Worldwide Company Profile

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.

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