Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Thursday.

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Kronos Worldwide from $11.00 to $8.50 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday.

Kronos Worldwide Trading Down 2.8%

Shares of NYSE KRO opened at $6.97 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $7.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.09. 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 $6.19 and a 1-year high of $14.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $801.80 million, a P/E ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 1.22.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.17 by ($0.01). Kronos Worldwide had a return on equity of 11.74% and a net margin of 5.05%. The company had revenue of $489.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.56 million.

Kronos Worldwide Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. Kronos Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.10%.

Insider Activity at Kronos Worldwide

In other news, Director Kevin B. Kramer purchased 14,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $7.43 per share, for a total transaction of $104,020.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 21,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $159,447.80. This trade represents a 187.67% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kronos Worldwide

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 144.8% in the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 3,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 28.1% in the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 5,031 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.