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KRO Stock Hits 52-Week High: What's Driving Its Performance?
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Key Takeaways
Kronos Worldwide hit a 52-week high of $9.17 on improved profitability.
KRO's TiO2 sales volumes rose 16% in the second quarter, boosting market share.
KRO's gross margin rose to 18% as restructuring lowered costs and pricing supported gains.
Shares of Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (KRO - Free Report) scaled a new 52-week high of $9.17 before retracing to close the session at $8.91.
The company’s shares have gained 42.8% in a year compared with the industry’s growth of 1.2%.
KRO currently has a market capitalization of roughly $1.03 billion and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
What’s Aiding KRO Stock?
Kronos reported second-quarter 2026 earnings of 13 cents per share. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 4 cents.
Kronos expects long-term TiO2 demand to grow 2-3% annually, supporting its exposure to coatings, plastics and other industrial applications. In the second quarter of 2026, TiO2 sales volumes rose 16% year over year as the company gained share across all major markets amid changing competitive and supply conditions and anti-dumping duties in certain markets.
Management expects full-year 2026 net sales to exceed 2025 levels. The volume gains and sales outlook support the company's long-term growth case.
Kronos benefits from established customer relationships and a broad international footprint across coatings, plastics and industrial end markets. In the first half of 2026, the company gained market share across all major markets, particularly Europe. Management continues to pursue targeted sales opportunities where changing supply conditions, logistics constraints and trade measures have reduced the competitiveness of certain imports, supporting customer-base expansion.
The fourth-quarter 2025 restructuring is lowering production and unabsorbed fixed costs. Second-quarter 2026 gross margin rose to 18% from 13% a year earlier, while segment profit was $41 million, up from $10.9 million. Management expects gross margin and operating income margins to exceed 2025 levels as lower-cost inventory and pricing contribute.
Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Worthington Steel, Inc. (WS - Free Report) , Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS - Free Report) and Avient Corporation (AVNT - Free Report) .
WS’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the trailing four quarters and missed twice, with the negative average surprise being 13.8%. Shares of the company have gained about 2% over the past year.
Carpenter Technology’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 8.4%. Shares of CRS have surged around 103.8% in the past year.
AVNT beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 3.4%. Shares of AVNT have surged around 18.9% in the past year.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Image: Bigstock
KRO Stock Hits 52-Week High: What's Driving Its Performance?
Key Takeaways
Shares of Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (KRO - Free Report) scaled a new 52-week high of $9.17 before retracing to close the session at $8.91.
The company’s shares have gained 42.8% in a year compared with the industry’s growth of 1.2%.
KRO currently has a market capitalization of roughly $1.03 billion and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
What’s Aiding KRO Stock?
Kronos reported second-quarter 2026 earnings of 13 cents per share. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 4 cents.
Kronos expects long-term TiO2 demand to grow 2-3% annually, supporting its exposure to coatings, plastics and other industrial applications. In the second quarter of 2026, TiO2 sales volumes rose 16% year over year as the company gained share across all major markets amid changing competitive and supply conditions and anti-dumping duties in certain markets.
Management expects full-year 2026 net sales to exceed 2025 levels. The volume gains and sales outlook support the company's long-term growth case.
Kronos benefits from established customer relationships and a broad international footprint across coatings, plastics and industrial end markets. In the first half of 2026, the company gained market share across all major markets, particularly Europe. Management continues to pursue targeted sales opportunities where changing supply conditions, logistics constraints and trade measures have reduced the competitiveness of certain imports, supporting customer-base expansion.
The fourth-quarter 2025 restructuring is lowering production and unabsorbed fixed costs. Second-quarter 2026 gross margin rose to 18% from 13% a year earlier, while segment profit was $41 million, up from $10.9 million. Management expects gross margin and operating income margins to exceed 2025 levels as lower-cost inventory and pricing contribute.
Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Worthington Steel, Inc. (WS - Free Report) , Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS - Free Report) and Avient Corporation (AVNT - Free Report) .
WS currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while CRS and AVNT carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
WS’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the trailing four quarters and missed twice, with the negative average surprise being 13.8%. Shares of the company have gained about 2% over the past year.
Carpenter Technology’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 8.4%. Shares of CRS have surged around 103.8% in the past year.
AVNT beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 3.4%. Shares of AVNT have surged around 18.9% in the past year.