Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold Rating

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Separately, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $64.00 price objective on shares of Koppers in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

Koppers Price Performance

Shares of KOP stock opened at $28.12 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.64. The company has a market capitalization of $575.96 million, a P/E ratio of 7.99 and a beta of 1.74. Koppers has a one year low of $27.00 and a one year high of $56.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.54 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $477.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $497.00 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Koppers will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

Koppers declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 27th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to purchase up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Koppers by 83.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,204 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Koppers in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted 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. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Koppers by 145.1% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,027 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Koppers during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $69,000. 92.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.