Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Trading 6.8% Higher - Here's Why

Key Points

• Kronos Worldwide shares rose 6.8% in midday trading, reaching as high as $6.39 after closing at $5.89 the previous day.
• Analyst sentiment improved recently, with Zacks upgrading the stock to strong-buy and others moving ratings higher, though the overall consensus remains Hold with a $5.00 target price.
• Latest earnings beat expectations as the company reported a smaller-than-expected loss of $0.04 per share, even though revenue came in below estimates at $509.8 million.

Kronos Worldwide Inc (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report) traded up 6.8% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $6.39 and last traded at $6.2890. Approximately 73,539 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 317,366 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.89.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KRO shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kronos Worldwide from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kronos Worldwide from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Zacks Research raised 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 issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $5.00.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Up 10.4%

The company has a market capitalization of $747.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.62 and a beta of 1.00. The business's 50-day moving average is $6.76 and its 200-day moving average is $6.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 3.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.33) by $0.29. The company had revenue of $509.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $524.00 million. Kronos Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 15.01% and a negative net margin of 7.12%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kronos Worldwide Inc will post -0.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Kronos Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Kronos Worldwide's payout ratio is presently -17.24%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,948,114 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $16,921,000 after acquiring an additional 426,662 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 55.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 472,305 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,711,000 after purchasing an additional 169,246 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Kronos Worldwide by 478.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 125,969 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $942,000 after purchasing an additional 104,202 shares in the last quarter. HRT Financial LP acquired a new stake in Kronos Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $271,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Kronos Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $250,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.11% of the company's stock.

About Kronos Worldwide

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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