Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Koppers (NYSE:KOP) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Monday.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Singular Research upgraded Koppers to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th.

Koppers Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KOP opened at $37.56 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 2.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $761.34 million, a P/E ratio of 10.67 and a beta of 1.84. Koppers has a 52 week low of $33.80 and a 52 week high of $58.23.

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

Koppers Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Joseph P. Dowd sold 5,516 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.72, for a total value of $208,063.52. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,516. The trade was a 34.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was 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 directly owns 315,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,949,691.68. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Koppers

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Koppers by 170.4% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 830 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Koppers in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Koppers in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Koppers by 83.8% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,204 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Koppers in the second quarter worth $45,000. 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.