Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $31.62 and last traded at $31.88, with a volume of 9052 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Koppers Stock Up 1.9 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.54 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $655.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.18 and a beta of 1.83. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $36.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.37.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.12. The company 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio is 7.95%.

Insider Transactions at Koppers

In related news, Director Stephen R. Tritch sold 3,533 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.08, for a total value of $131,003.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 47,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,770,087.96. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 6,000 shares of Koppers stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.26, for a total transaction of $223,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 314,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,711,749.50. This trade represents a 1.87 % 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 worth $544,164 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 6.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Koppers by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,038 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $444,000 after acquiring an additional 655 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Koppers by 356.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 36,941 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,350,000 after buying an additional 28,855 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in Koppers by 345.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,905 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $106,000 after buying an additional 2,253 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 128.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 60,542 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,212,000 after acquiring an additional 34,074 shares during the period. Finally, Villanova Investment Management Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC now owns 28,994 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,059,000 after acquiring an additional 5,758 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.75% of the company’s stock.

About Koppers

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.