Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Koppers (NYSE:KOP) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Separately, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Koppers Trading Up 1.9 %

KOP opened at $28.69 on Friday. 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 has a 52 week low of $27.00 and a 52 week high of $56.96. The business’s 50 day moving average is $30.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.58. The firm has a market cap of $587.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.15 and a beta of 1.74.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $477.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $497.00 million. Koppers had a net margin of 3.55% and a return on equity of 16.71%. On average, research analysts predict that Koppers will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.17%.

Koppers declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 27th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Koppers

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KOP. KBC Group NV increased 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 period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Koppers in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its position in Koppers by 277.2% during 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 during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Koppers in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $69,000. 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.