SunTrust analyst James Sheehan initiated Tronox with a Buy rating and a price target of $24 as part of his broader research note suggesting that the titanium dioxide, or TiO2, upcycle is nearing a peak. Despite the pricing pressure, the analyst expects Tronox to become one of the two largest global TiO2 producers pending a merger with Saudi-owned Cristal and contingent on U.S. regulator approval. Sheehan also sees the company benefiting from "tightening mineral sands supply/demand and stable profitability in TiO2 over the next 12 months", allowing the company to generate $100M of synergies in the first year of the acquisition.