Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Invests $3.04 Million in Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 301,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,039,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of TROX. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Tronox by 320.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 182,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,672,000 after acquiring an additional 139,161 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Tronox by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 69,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $702,000 after acquiring an additional 5,309 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Tronox by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 40,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $405,000 after acquiring an additional 22,242 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Tronox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $403,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Tronox by 59.4% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 2,590 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Tronox from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Tronox from $11.50 to $7.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Tronox from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Tronox from $12.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Tronox from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.64.

Tronox Stock Down 1.2%

NYSE:TROX opened at $5.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $900.25 million, a P/E ratio of -18.39 and a beta of 1.40. Tronox Holdings plc has a 1-year low of $4.35 and a 1-year high of $20.70. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $6.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

Tronox (NYSE:TROX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.15) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by ($0.17). Tronox had a negative return on equity of 0.63% and a negative net margin of 1.56%. The firm had revenue of $738.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $745.96 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.05) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Tronox Holdings plc will post 0.49 EPS for the current year.

Tronox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Tronox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -52.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jeffrey N. Neuman acquired 10,266 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.89 per share, with a total value of $50,200.74. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,266 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,200.74. This trade represents a ? increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Stephen J. Jones bought 30,000 shares of Tronox stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.17 per share, with a total value of $215,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $215,100. The trade was a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Tronox Profile

Tronox Holdings plc operates as a vertically integrated manufacturer of TiO2 pigment in North America, South and Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates titanium-bearing mineral sand mines; and engages in beneficiation and smelting operations. It offers TiO2 pigment; ultrafine specialty TiO2; zircon; feedstock; pig iron; monazite; titanium tetrachloride; and other products.