Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Friday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on KRO. TheStreet upgraded Kronos Worldwide from a "d+" rating to a "c-" rating in a report on Monday, March 11th. Barclays upped their target price on Kronos Worldwide from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th.

Kronos Worldwide Trading Up 0.3 %

KRO stock traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $11.32. The company had a trading volume of 171,252 shares, compared to its average volume of 247,699. The company has a current ratio of 3.01, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Kronos Worldwide has a 52 week low of $6.16 and a 52 week high of $12.48. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $10.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.21. The stock has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.23 and a beta of 1.21.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $400.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $404.94 million. Kronos Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 5.73% and a negative net margin of 2.95%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kronos Worldwide will post 0.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kronos Worldwide

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KRO. Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 111.8% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 53,275 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $413,000 after acquiring an additional 28,117 shares during the last quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC now owns 64,675 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $640,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 193.3% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 21,025 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 24.9% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 35,011 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 6,979 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 0.9% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,106,941 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $8,579,000 after buying an additional 9,924 shares during the last quarter. 15.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kronos Worldwide Company Profile

Kronos Worldwide, Inc produces and markets titanium dioxide pigments (TiO2) in Europe, North America, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company produces TiO2 in two crystalline forms, rutile and anatase to impart whiteness, brightness, opacity, and durability for various products, including paints, coatings, plastics, paper, fibers, and ceramics, as well as for various specialty products, such as inks, foods, and cosmetics.