Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Kronos Worldwide Inc (NYSE:KRO) shares 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on KRO shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Kronos Worldwide from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kronos Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kronos Worldwide from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.00.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Down 0.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $767.29 million, a PE ratio of -5.73 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $6.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 3.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

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

Kronos Worldwide Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KRO. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Kronos Worldwide in the second quarter valued at about $42,000. Jain Global LLC acquired a new stake in Kronos Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd increased its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 68.1% during the 4th quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd now owns 11,600 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 4,700 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Kronos Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 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 (TiO?) 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 TiO? 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.