Kronos Worldwide Inc
Q2 2025 Earnings
Market Reaction
S&P 500 over the same 30 days: +2.86%.
Did KRO Beat Earnings? Q2 2025 Results
Kronos Worldwide delivered a painful second-quarter disappointment, swinging to a loss of $0.08 per share against a consensus estimate of $0.14, a miss of 158.87%, as the titanium dioxide producer grappled with sharply lower production volumes that left roughly $20.00 million in fixed costs unabsorbed during the period. Revenue slipped 1.2% year-over-year to $494.40 million, falling short of the $504.73 million analysts had anticipated, pressured by softer average TiO2 selling prices, an unfavorable product mix, and weaker export volumes. The operational drag was severe: segment profit collapsed to $10.90 million from $41.10 million a year ago, and EBITDA fell to $22.20 million from $56.20 million, as the company ran its facilities at just 81% of practical capacity compared to 99% in Q2 2024. Looking ahead, management offered little comfort, noting that U.S. trade policy uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and customer reluctance to build inventories have deferred any meaningful market recovery and continued to weigh on both pricing momentum and volumes. An executive vice president's recent open-market share purchase offered a modest signal of internal confidence amid the turbulence.
- Lower production volumes resulting in approximately $20 million of unabsorbed fixed production costs in Q2 2025
- Reduced operating rates — facilities at 81% capacity in Q2 2025 vs. 99% in Q2 2024
- Average TiO2 selling prices declined 1% YoY in Q2 and 4% during H1 2025
- Higher cost inventory produced in Q1 flowing through cost of sales in Q2
- Currency exchange rate fluctuations (primarily euro) increased segment profit by approximately $14 million in Q2 2025
- Lower sales volumes in export markets partially offset by higher North American sales volumes
Forward Guidance & Outlook
Management indicated the TiO2 industry has been impacted by global uncertainty related to U.S. trade policies, geopolitical tensions, and general customer hesitancy to build inventories, which have deferred any anticipated market recovery and negatively impacted sales volumes and pricing momentum. Average TiO2 selling prices declined 4% during the first six months of 2025 after starting the year 2% above prior-year levels.
KRO YoY Financials
KRO Revenue by Segment
Figures from SEC filings and company reports. Not investment advice.