Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Shares Gap Down on Disappointing Earnings

Kronos Worldwide Inc (NYSE:KRO) shares gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $5.42, but opened at $5.21. Kronos Worldwide shares last traded at $5.58, with a volume of 90,341 shares trading hands.

The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.72) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by ($0.46). Kronos Worldwide had a negative net margin of 5.96% and a negative return on equity of 11.43%. The company had revenue of $418.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $373.26 million.

Kronos Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. Kronos Worldwide’s payout ratio is -55.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Kronos Worldwide from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Zacks Research upgraded Kronos Worldwide from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Kronos Worldwide in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus target price of $6.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KRO. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 60.0% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,521,452 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $15,630,000 after purchasing an additional 945,556 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 55.8% during the third 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 grew its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 478.7% during the first 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. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its position in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 56.8% in the second quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 197,383 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 71,493 shares during the period. Finally, HRT Financial LP bought a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $271,000. 15.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kronos Worldwide Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.83 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $5.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $608.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.51 and a beta of 1.12.

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.