Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a report on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Koppers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd.

Koppers Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $532.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.39 and a beta of 1.74. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $29.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.54 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

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

Koppers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. Koppers’s payout ratio is presently 13.17%.

Koppers declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 27th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Koppers

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Koppers during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its position in Koppers by 277.2% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,520 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 1,117 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Koppers by 145.1% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,027 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Koppers in the 4th quarter valued at $69,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its position in shares of Koppers by 345.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 2,253 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.