Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.50.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Tronox from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $7.00 target price (down previously from $13.00) on shares of Tronox in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Tronox from $12.00 to $8.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Tronox from $11.50 to $7.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Tronox from $13.00 to $8.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday.

Tronox Stock Up 5.7%

Tronox stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $5.09. The company had a trading volume of 5,142,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,638,230. Tronox has a fifty-two week low of $4.35 and a fifty-two week high of $20.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $807.21 million, a P/E ratio of -16.43 and a beta of 1.40. The firm's fifty day moving average is $5.51 and its 200-day moving average is $8.24.

Tronox (NYSE:TROX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.15) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.02 by ($0.17). Tronox had a negative return on equity of 0.63% and a negative net margin of 1.56%. The firm had revenue of $738.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $745.96 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.05) EPS. The firm's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Tronox will post 0.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Tronox Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Tronox's payout ratio is presently -52.63%.

Insider Activity

In other Tronox news, Director Stephen J. Jones acquired 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $7.17 per share, with a total value of $215,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $215,100. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jeffrey N. Neuman bought 10,266 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $4.89 per share, for a total transaction of $50,200.74. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 10,266 shares in the company, valued at $50,200.74. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Tronox

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Tronox by 832.6% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,805 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 3,397 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Tronox by 763.5% in the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,127 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 8,070 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Tronox by 59.4% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,949 shares of the company's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 2,590 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Tronox by 1,186.7% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 10,731 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 9,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Tronox by 1,070.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,257 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 10,295 shares during the period. 73.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Tronox

Tronox Holdings plc operates as a vertically integrated manufacturer of TiO2 pigment in North America, South and Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates titanium-bearing mineral sand mines; and engages in beneficiation and smelting operations. It offers TiO2 pigment; ultrafine specialty TiO2; zircon; feedstock; pig iron; monazite; titanium tetrachloride; and other products.