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

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) shares reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $29.18 and last traded at $29.18, with a volume of 584 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KOP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Singular Research raised shares of Koppers to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. StockNews.com raised shares of Koppers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Koppers Stock Up 2.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 2.54, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $34.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $615.57 million, a P/E ratio of 8.63 and a beta of 1.86.

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

Koppers Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Koppers’s payout ratio is 7.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Koppers

In related news, Director Stephen R. Tritch sold 3,533 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.08, for a total transaction of $131,003.64. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 47,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,770,087.96. This represents a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $11,949,691.68. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,533 shares of company stock worth $544,164 over the last three months. 6.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Koppers

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Koppers by 170.4% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 830 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Koppers in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Koppers by 83.8% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,204 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its stake in Koppers by 277.2% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,520 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in Koppers by 47.4% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,296 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. 92.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Koppers Company Profile

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.