Shares of Kronos Worldwide, Inc. KRO 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, Carpenter Technology Corporation CRS and Avient Corporation AVNT.
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.
Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"
Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.
This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.
Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research
