Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $30.53 and last traded at $30.53, with a volume of 89659 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $31.93.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Koppers Price Performance

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.54 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market cap of $615.37 million, a PE ratio of 8.63 and a beta of 1.86.

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

Koppers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Koppers news, Director Stephen R. Tritch sold 3,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.08, for a total value of $131,003.64. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 47,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,770,087.96. This trade represents a 6.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.92, for a total value of $189,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 315,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,533 shares of company stock valued at $544,164. Insiders own 6.55% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Koppers

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in Koppers by 3.6% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 10,878 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in Koppers by 0.6% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 76,772 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,840,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Koppers by 170.4% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 830 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 549 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Koppers by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,038 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 655 shares during the last quarter. 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.