Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Tuesday.

Kronos Worldwide Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of KRO stock opened at $7.82 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Kronos Worldwide has a 1 year low of $7.17 and a 1 year high of $14.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $899.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.65 and a beta of 1.16.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by ($0.31). Kronos Worldwide had a net margin of 5.05% and a return on equity of 11.74%. The business had revenue of $423.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $494.19 million.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kronos Worldwide

In other news, Director Kevin B. Kramer purchased 14,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $7.43 per share, with a total value of $104,020.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 21,460 shares in the company, valued at $159,447.80. This trade represents a 187.67 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,165,098 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $30,859,000 after purchasing an additional 109,674 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,217,961 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $21,625,000 after acquiring an additional 13,869 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 80.4% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,412,106 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $13,765,000 after acquiring an additional 629,387 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 734,230 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,159,000 after acquiring an additional 31,830 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 1.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 575,541 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,165,000 after acquiring an additional 8,218 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 15.11% of the company’s stock.

Kronos Worldwide Company Profile

Kronos Worldwide, Inc produces and markets titanium dioxide pigments (TiO2) in Europe, North America, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company produces TiO2 in two crystalline forms, rutile and anatase to impart whiteness, brightness, opacity, and durability for various products, including paints, coatings, plastics, paper, fibers, and ceramics, as well as for various specialty products, such as inks, foods, and cosmetics.