Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) Sets New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Kronos Worldwide Inc (NYSE:KRO)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $4.70 and last traded at $4.73, with a volume of 324473 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $4.92.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on KRO shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Kronos Worldwide from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Kronos Worldwide in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Kronos Worldwide from $8.50 to $6.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kronos Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus price target of $6.50.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $544.20 million, a P/E ratio of 8.16 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 2.79. The company’s 50 day moving average is $5.67 and its 200 day moving average is $6.21.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.08) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.21). The company had revenue of $494.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $508.47 million. Kronos Worldwide had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 8.04%.

Kronos Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 21st. Kronos Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio is 34.48%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kronos Worldwide

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KRO. Boston Partners increased its position 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 valued at $15,630,000 after acquiring an additional 945,556 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Kronos Worldwide in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,090,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Kronos Worldwide by 478.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 125,969 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $942,000 after acquiring an additional 104,202 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its position in Kronos Worldwide by 56.8% in the 2nd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 197,383 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,224,000 after acquiring an additional 71,493 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Kronos Worldwide by 260.5% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 68,501 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $528,000 after acquiring an additional 49,501 shares during the period. 15.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.