Empowered Funds LLC Has $3.75 Million Stock Position in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)

Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) by 137.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 102,586 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 59,460 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC owned 0.50% of Koppers worth $3,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Koppers by 91.7% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 119,691 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $6,601,000 after acquiring an additional 57,252 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Koppers by 78.6% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 65,018 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,587,000 after purchasing an additional 28,605 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Koppers by 37.1% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 132,016 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,883,000 after buying an additional 35,741 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Koppers during the second quarter worth $5,671,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Koppers during the second quarter valued at about $700,000. 92.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Koppers Stock Up 6.1 %

Koppers stock opened at $38.70 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 2.54. The stock has a market cap of $784.45 million, a PE ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 1.84. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.80 and a fifty-two week high of $58.23. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $36.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.41.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $554.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $571.80 million. Koppers had a return on equity of 16.71% and a net margin of 3.55%. Koppers’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Koppers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Koppers’s payout ratio is 7.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KOP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Koppers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Singular Research raised Koppers to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of Koppers in a report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 5,000 shares of Koppers stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.92, for a total value of $189,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 315,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,949,691.68. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Koppers Company Profile

Koppers Holdings Inc provides treated wood products, wood preservation chemicals, and carbon compounds in the United States, Australasia, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Railroad and Utility Products and Services (RUPS), Performance Chemicals (PC), and Carbon Materials and Chemicals (CMC) segments.