Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Trading 7.3% Higher - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Kronos Worldwide shares rose 7.3% to $8.43 in Thursday trading, although volume was 86% below the stock’s average daily volume.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $0.13 versus $0.07 expected and revenue of $558.1 million versus the $484.5 million consensus estimate.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an $8.00 price target. Kronos also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share, implying a 2.3% annualized yield.

Kronos Worldwide Inc (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 7.3% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $8.30 and last traded at $8.43. Approximately 48,691 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 348,310 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.86.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on KRO shares. Wall Street Zen raised Kronos Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kronos Worldwide from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kronos Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $8.00 price objective on shares of Kronos Worldwide in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kronos Worldwide has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $8.00.

Kronos Worldwide Trading Up 8.4%

The stock has a market cap of $980.65 million, a PE ratio of -8.97 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 3.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $6.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.44.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $558.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $484.51 million. Kronos Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 12.28% and a negative net margin of 5.63%. Equities analysts expect 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 paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Kronos Worldwide's payout ratio is currently -21.05%.

Institutional Trading of Kronos Worldwide

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide during the second quarter worth $10,886,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the second quarter worth about $5,030,000. Boston Partners increased its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 16.9% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,948,114 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $16,921,000 after buying an additional 426,662 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 55.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 472,305 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,711,000 after buying an additional 169,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Monaco Asset Management SAM purchased a new stake in Kronos Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at about $964,000. 15.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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