Tronox (NYSE:TROX) Shares Up 12.5% Following Insider Buying Activity

Shares of Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX - Get Free Report) traded up 12.5% during trading on Monday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock traded as high as $5.92 and last traded at $5.91. 945,059 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 1,500,490 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.25.

Specifically, SVP Jeffrey N. Neuman purchased 10,266 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $4.89 per share, with a total value of $50,200.74. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,200.74. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on TROX shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Tronox from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Tronox from $12.00 to $8.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Tronox from $14.00 to $10.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $7.00 price objective (down from $13.00) on shares of Tronox in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Tronox from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $9.64.

Tronox Price Performance

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 stock has a market capitalization of $859.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.56 and a beta of 1.40. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $5.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.68.

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

Tronox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.18%. Tronox's payout ratio is -52.63%.

Institutional Trading of Tronox

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Tronox by 320.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 182,629 shares of the company's stock worth $2,672,000 after acquiring an additional 139,161 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Tronox by 123.9% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 40,195 shares of the company's stock worth $405,000 after buying an additional 22,242 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Tronox during the fourth quarter worth $403,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Tronox by 59.4% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,949 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 2,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Tronox by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 728,282 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,334,000 after purchasing an additional 35,495 shares in the last quarter. 73.36% of the stock is 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.