Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Reaches New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $33.73 and last traded at $33.78, with a volume of 137252 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $34.61.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on KOP shares. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of Koppers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Singular Research raised shares of Koppers to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th.

Koppers Trading Up 0.1 %

The company has a current ratio of 2.54, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The company’s fifty day moving average is $36.59 and its 200-day moving average is $37.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $685.33 million, a P/E ratio of 9.61 and a beta of 1.83.

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

Koppers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. Koppers’s payout ratio is currently 7.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.92, for a total transaction of $189,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 315,129 shares in the company, valued at $11,949,691.68. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen R. Tritch sold 3,533 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.08, for a total transaction of $131,003.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 47,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,770,087.96. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,533 shares of company stock worth $544,164. 6.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Koppers by 91.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 770,169 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $28,134,000 after acquiring an additional 368,709 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Koppers by 586.8% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 196,704 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $7,276,000 after acquiring an additional 168,063 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Koppers during the 2nd quarter worth about $5,671,000. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new stake in Koppers during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,022,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Koppers by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 568,787 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $20,778,000 after acquiring an additional 97,586 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.75% of the company’s stock.

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.