Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $25.58 and last traded at $25.93, with a volume of 76935 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Koppers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $64.00 price objective on shares of Koppers in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Koppers Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $512.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.11 and a beta of 1.74. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $29.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.07.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.18). Koppers had a return on equity of 16.71% and a net margin of 3.55%. The business had revenue of $477.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $497.00 million. Analysts forecast that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. Koppers’s payout ratio is presently 13.17%.

Koppers announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to purchase up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Koppers by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 908,772 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $29,444,000 after buying an additional 138,603 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Koppers by 20.7% in 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 acquiring an additional 97,586 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Koppers during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,948,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Koppers by 193.5% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 130,816 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,238,000 after purchasing an additional 86,246 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 101.1% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 156,632 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,075,000 after purchasing an additional 78,732 shares in the last quarter. 92.75% of the stock is owned by 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.