Kennedy Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 90,997 Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 90,997 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,948,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned 0.45% of Koppers as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 138,603 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management raised its stake in shares of Koppers by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 632,862 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $20,505,000 after purchasing an additional 2,312 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $20,778,000 after purchasing an additional 97,586 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Koppers by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 201,557 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $6,530,000 after buying an additional 1,596 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Koppers by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 184,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $5,978,000 after buying an additional 11,800 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.75% of the company’s stock.

Koppers Stock Up 2.2 %

KOP opened at $24.92 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $510.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.08 and a beta of 1.50. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 2.54. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.99 and a twelve month high of $56.74.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $497.00 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.17%.

Koppers announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KOP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Koppers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 price objective on shares of Koppers in a report on Monday, February 24th.

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.