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

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

Kronos Worldwide Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE:KRO opened at $7.99 on Tuesday. Kronos Worldwide has a one year low of $7.17 and a one year high of $14.50. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $8.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $918.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.86 and a beta of 1.16. 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 (NYSE:KRO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.19 by ($0.31). Kronos Worldwide had a net margin of 5.05% and a return on equity of 11.74%. The company had revenue of $423.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $494.19 million.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kevin B. Kramer bought 14,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $7.43 per share, for a total transaction of $104,020.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 21,460 shares in the company, valued at $159,447.80. This represents a 187.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kronos Worldwide

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Kronos Worldwide by 80.4% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,412,106 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $13,765,000 after acquiring an additional 629,387 shares during the period. Luminus Management LLC purchased a new position in Kronos Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,538,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in Kronos Worldwide in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,824,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in Kronos Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,239,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,165,098 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $30,859,000 after buying an additional 109,674 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.11% of the company’s stock.

About Kronos Worldwide

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.