Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (KRO) Stock

Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (KRO) is a Materials stock trading at $8.73 (as of 2026-09-02), with a market capitalization of $1.00B. Figures are sourced from first-party U.S. SEC EDGAR filings and market data.

Kronos Worldwide manufactures and markets titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments in rutile and anatase forms, along with ilmenite, iron-based chemicals, and certain specialty chemicals, and also provides related technical services. Its products are sold under the KRONOS brand through agents and distributors to industries such as paints, plastics, and decorative laminates.

Understand Kronos Worldwide, Inc.: how it makes money

Kronos manufactures titanium dioxide (TiO2), the irreplaceable white pigment that gives paints, plastics, paper, and coatings their brightness and opacity, and sells it to industrial formulators worldwide. It is a single-product commodity chemical whose revenue tracks global TiO2 volumes and prices, with customers from house painters to cosmetics makers all drawing on the same market price curve.

Profit equals the spread between a global TiO2 spot price (set by the market) and a very heavy, immovable fixed-cost base, so earnings swing hard on even a small move in price or plant utilization.

Business quality (Weak): Thin 7% operating margin on a capital-intensive commodity product with no pricing power makes this a cyclical cash-flow stream, not a compounding franchise.

Bull case

  • Demand recovery is real: Quarterly revenue reached $600M, up 13% year over year, signaling a genuine pickup in end-market demand for paints, coatings, and plastics that rely on TiO2.
  • No real substitute at scale: TiO2 remains the only pigment that delivers the opacity and UV durability needed in high-performance coatings and consumer products, which gives Kronors a structural position that new entrants cannot easily replicate without multi-billion-dollar plants.

Bear case

  • Thin margins offer no buffer: With gross margin at 18% and operating margin at 7%, even a moderate drop in the global TiO2 price or a pause in construction and auto demand can push the P&L toward breakeven overnight.
  • Profit remains trivially small: Titanium Dioxide Segment Profit was just $20M, equal to 3% of revenue, reminding investors that the capital-intensive nature of TiO2 manufacturing has yet to convert back into meaningful returns for shareholders.
Valuation — source: SEC EDGAR (first-party)
Price$8.73
Market Cap$1.00B
EV / EBITDA54.2
Price / Book1.34
Price / Sales0.52
FCF Yield-4.0%
DCF Value (model)$2.08
DCF Upside vs Price-76.2%
Profitability & Growth — source: SEC EDGAR
Revenue (TTM)$1.86B
Net Margin-6.0%
Revenue Growth (YoY)12.9%
EPS Growth (YoY)-262.5%
Financial Health — source: SEC EDGAR
Altman Z-Score1.65 (distress)
Piotroski F-Score4/9 (moderate)
Valuation vs Sector & Industry
Sector P/E (Materials)23.9
Industry P/E (Chemicals)32.1
Smart-Money Activity — SEC Form 4 / 13F / Congressional disclosures
Top Institutional HolderDIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LP ($20.48M)
Institutional Holders Tracked10
Company
SectorMaterials
IndustryChemicals
CEOJames Buch
Employees2,524
CountryUS
IPO Date2003-12-09

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KRO earnings history · KRO institutional & insider holders · KRO KPIs & operating metrics · KRO financials · KRO investor presentations & press releases · KRO SEC filings · KRO peers · Congress trades · Insider trades · Short interest · Stock screener

Data as of 2026-09-02.

Figures sourced from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC EDGAR) filings and market data. Not personalized investment advice.