Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Hits New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $29.18 and last traded at $29.18, with a volume of 584 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Koppers Price Performance

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 business’s fifty day moving average is $34.79 and its 200 day moving average is $36.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $624.89 million, a P/E ratio of 8.76 and a beta of 1.86.

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

Koppers Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.95%.

Insider Transactions at Koppers

In other news, Director Stephen R. Tritch sold 3,533 shares of Koppers stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.08, for a total value of $131,003.64. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 47,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,770,087.96. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.92, for a total transaction of $189,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 315,129 shares in the company, valued at $11,949,691.68. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,533 shares of company stock valued at $544,164 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KOP. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in Koppers by 91.8% during the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 770,169 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $28,134,000 after purchasing an additional 368,709 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Koppers by 586.8% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 196,704 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,276,000 after purchasing an additional 168,063 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC purchased a new position in Koppers during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,022,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Koppers by 20.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 568,787 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $20,778,000 after purchasing an additional 97,586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Koppers by 137.9% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 102,586 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,747,000 after purchasing an additional 59,460 shares in the last quarter. 92.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.