Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Trading Up 7% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Kronos Worldwide shares jumped 7% on Wednesday, trading as high as $7.23 after closing at $6.73 the prior session. Trading volume was well below normal, with about 70,390 shares changing hands versus an average of 328,159.
• Analysts remain mixed on the stock: recent rating changes included upgrades from Wall Street Zen and Zacks Research, while Weiss Ratings made a smaller positive adjustment. MarketBeat data shows a consensus rating of “Hold” and a price target of $5.00.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected earnings, with quarterly EPS of -$0.04 versus an estimated -$0.33, though revenue missed forecasts. Kronos also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share, equal to a 2.8% annualized yield.

Kronos Worldwide Inc (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report) shares traded up 7% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $7.23 and last traded at $7.2020. 70,390 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 328,159 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.73.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on KRO shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kronos Worldwide from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kronos Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $5.00.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Up 6.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 3.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $822.63 million, a PE ratio of -6.17 and a beta of 1.00.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.33) by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $509.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $524.00 million. Kronos Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 15.01% and a negative net margin of 7.12%. Analysts forecast that Kronos Worldwide Inc will post -0.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kronos Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. 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 2.8%. Kronos Worldwide's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -17.24%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kronos Worldwide

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of KRO. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,961,076 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $13,092,000 after purchasing an additional 12,962 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 4.6% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 804,588 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $5,286,000 after buying an additional 35,224 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 541,095 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,392,000 after buying an additional 8,641 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 55.8% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 472,305 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,711,000 after buying an additional 169,246 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 244,595 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,081,000 after buying an additional 7,382 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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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