Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Hits New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $31.62 and last traded at $31.88, with a volume of 9052 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $31.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on KOP. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Singular Research raised shares of Koppers to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Koppers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th.

Koppers Trading Up 0.1 %

The firm has a market cap of $635.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.91 and a beta of 1.83. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $36.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 2.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83.

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

Koppers Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Koppers news, Director Stephen R. Tritch sold 3,533 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.08, for a total value of $131,003.64. Following the transaction, the director now owns 47,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,770,087.96. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 5,000 shares of Koppers 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,533 shares of company stock valued at $544,164 in the last three months. 6.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Koppers by 170.4% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 830 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Koppers in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Koppers during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Koppers by 83.8% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,204 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Koppers in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 92.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.