Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Shares Up 7.2% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Kronos Worldwide Inc (NYSE:KRO) were up 7.2% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $6.70 and last traded at $6.7780. Approximately 258,814 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 329,481 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KRO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded Kronos Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Kronos Worldwide in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus target price of $6.00.

Kronos Worldwide Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 2.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $6.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $759.79 million, a PE ratio of -6.88 and a beta of 1.00.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.72) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by ($0.46). The firm had revenue of $418.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $373.26 million. Kronos Worldwide had a negative return on equity of 11.72% and a negative net margin of 5.96%. On average, equities analysts predict that Kronos Worldwide Inc will post -0.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Kronos Worldwide Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. Kronos Worldwide’s payout ratio is currently -20.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kronos Worldwide

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KRO. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,948,114 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $16,921,000 after purchasing an additional 426,662 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position 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 valued at $2,711,000 after purchasing an additional 169,246 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 478.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 125,969 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $942,000 after purchasing an additional 104,202 shares during the last quarter. HRT Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at about $271,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at about $250,000. Hedge funds and other 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.