StockNews.com Lowers Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) to Hold

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. TheStreet raised shares of Kronos Worldwide from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research report on Monday, March 11th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Kronos Worldwide from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th.

Kronos Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of KRO opened at $11.29 on Friday. Kronos Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $6.16 and a fifty-two week high of $12.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $10.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.21. The company has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.26 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 3.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.05) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.02. Kronos Worldwide had a negative net margin of 2.95% and a negative return on equity of 5.73%. The firm had revenue of $400.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $404.94 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Kronos Worldwide will post 0.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 111.8% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 53,275 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 28,117 shares in the last quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC now owns 64,675 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $640,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 35,011 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 6,979 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,106,941 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $8,579,000 after buying an additional 9,924 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirador Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in Kronos Worldwide by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 56,170 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $558,000 after purchasing an additional 2,188 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.