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

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

Kronos Worldwide Stock Down 5.9 %

NYSE:KRO traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $7.40. 307,078 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 197,173. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.56. Kronos Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $7.33 and a fifty-two week high of $14.50. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a market capitalization of $850.69 million, a PE ratio of 9.13 and a beta of 1.16.

Kronos Worldwide (NYSE:KRO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by ($0.31). Kronos Worldwide had a net margin of 5.05% and a return on equity of 11.74%. The business had revenue of $423.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $494.19 million.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in Kronos Worldwide by 80.4% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,412,106 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $13,765,000 after buying an additional 629,387 shares in the last quarter. Luminus Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,538,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,824,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kronos Worldwide during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,239,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Kronos Worldwide by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,165,098 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $30,859,000 after purchasing an additional 109,674 shares during the last quarter. 15.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.