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 report published on Monday.

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

Koppers Stock Down 0.9 %

KOP stock opened at $37.56 on Monday. 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 has a one year low of $33.80 and a one year high of $58.23. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $36.40 and its 200 day moving average is $38.81. The firm has a market cap of $761.34 million, a PE ratio of 10.67 and a beta of 1.84.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $554.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $571.80 million. Koppers had a return on equity of 16.71% and a net margin of 3.55%. Koppers’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Koppers will post 4.24 EPS for the current 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 given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Koppers’s payout ratio is currently 7.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Koppers

In other news, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.92, for a total transaction of $189,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 315,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,949,691.68. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Joseph P. Dowd sold 5,516 shares of Koppers stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.72, for a total transaction of $208,063.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,516. This trade represents a 34.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.55% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Koppers

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Koppers by 277.2% in the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,520 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 1,117 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P raised its position in Koppers by 62.4% in the 3rd quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 11,206 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $409,000 after purchasing an additional 4,306 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Koppers by 30.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 37,671 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,376,000 after buying an additional 8,871 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Koppers by 5.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,871 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $15,521,000 after buying an additional 20,586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Koppers during the third quarter worth approximately $4,022,000. Hedge funds and other 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.