Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

Kronos Worldwide Inc (NYSE:KRO) saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday . 619,047 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 91% from the previous session’s volume of 324,514 shares.The stock last traded at $6.8580 and had previously closed at $6.71.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised 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 report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kronos Worldwide from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. One investment 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.00.

Kronos Worldwide Trading Down 1.1%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 3.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The business’s fifty day moving average is $6.68 and its 200-day moving average is $6.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $759.91 million, a PE ratio of -5.69 and a beta of 1.00.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.33) by $0.29. The company had revenue of $509.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $524.00 million. Kronos Worldwide had a negative net margin of 7.12% and a negative return on equity of 15.01%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Kronos Worldwide Inc will post -0.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kronos Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 4th. Kronos Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -17.24%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Boston Partners increased its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,961,076 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $13,092,000 after acquiring an additional 12,962 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 804,588 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $5,286,000 after purchasing an additional 35,224 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 541,095 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,392,000 after purchasing an additional 8,641 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $2,711,000 after purchasing an additional 169,246 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Kronos Worldwide by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 244,595 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,081,000 after purchasing an additional 7,382 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.