Tronox Q2 Earnings Call Highlights

Tronox NYSE: TROX reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $868 million, up 19% from a year earlier, as higher titanium dioxide, or TiO2, and zircon volumes helped offset lower average zircon selling prices, including mix. The company posted a $21 million operating loss and a net loss attributable to Tronox of $171 million, which included a $103 million valuation allowance related to certain U.S. state deferred-tax assets. Adjusted EBITDA was $73 million, down 22% year over year but up 18% sequentially, while adjusted EBITDA margin was 8.4%. Adjusted diluted earnings per share was a loss of $0.51. The company generated $60 million of free cash flow during the quarter and reduced inventory by roughly $120 million from the first quarter, reaching its lowest inventory level since June 2024.

Volumes and Pricing Improve Sequentially Chemical Maker Tronox Holds Above 10-Day Line After $4.3 Billion Buyout Offer Chief Executive Officer John Romano said TiO2 volumes reached the high end of the company’s guidance range and were at their highest level since the second quarter of 2022. Zircon volumes exceeded expectations and surpassed the strong first-quarter level as industry supply remained constrained. Sequentially, TiO2 revenue rose 14%, reflecting a 9% volume increase and a 5% increase in average selling prices, including mix. Zircon revenue increased 9%, with volumes rising 4% and pricing increasing 5%. Romano said the pricing gains were primarily driven by base-price increases rather than temporary surcharges.

The company has implemented additional TiO2 and zircon price increases in the third quarter. Romano said Tronox is increasingly shifting away from temporary surcharge mechanisms toward “more sustainable pricing actions” that account for market conditions, higher input costs and the value of reliable supply. Remaining targeted surcharges are largely tied to sulfur-related costs in Brazil and Thann. Chief Financial Officer John Srivisal said pricing is expected to be the largest contributor to expected third-quarter earnings improvement. He also cited expected cost benefits from the completion of planned outages and from the company’s cost-improvement program, partly offset by elevated costs associated with the Middle East conflict and foreign-exchange headwinds.

Outages, Costs and Balance Sheet Tronox said its second-quarter costs included the effects of a regulatory outage at its Stallingborough facility and an extended shutdown of its SR kiln. Romano said the SR kiln outage lasted more than 50 days, while the Stallingborough outage extended to 29 days from an originally scheduled 24 days. Both outages have now been completed. Management said the company remains...