Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Koppers (NYSE:KOP) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Koppers from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Koppers has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $54.50.

Koppers Price Performance

KOP stock opened at $29.29 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $43.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The stock has a market cap of $553.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.70 and a beta of 1.23. Koppers has a 52-week low of $26.02 and a 52-week high of $53.00.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.60). The business had revenue of $499.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $518.60 million. Koppers had a negative net margin of 4.59% and a positive return on equity of 14.98%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. Koppers has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Koppers will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Koppers Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 27th will be paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 27th. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -7.00%.

Insider Transactions at Koppers

In other news, CEO Leroy Ball sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.96, for a total transaction of $183,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 429,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,742,347.80. The trade was a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Stephen Lucas sold 1,308 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.55, for a total transaction of $58,271.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 34,345 shares in the company, valued at $1,530,069.75. The trade was a 3.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,308 shares of company stock valued at $379,631. Corporate insiders own 7.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Koppers during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in shares of Koppers during the second quarter worth $31,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Koppers during the second quarter worth $50,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Koppers in the third quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, Simplex Trading LLC purchased a new position in Koppers in the third quarter valued at $90,000. 92.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Koppers

Koppers Holdings Inc (NYSE:KOP) is a global provider of treated wood products, carbon compounds and performance chemicals. The company serves infrastructure, industrial and utility markets with products designed to preserve, protect and extend the service life of wood and other materials.

Koppers operates through two primary business areas: Railroad and Utility Products and Services, and Performance Chemicals. Its offerings include treated railroad crossties, utility poles, pilings and other wood products, as well as wood preservatives and related treatment services.