Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Reaches New 52-Week Low After Earnings Miss

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as low as $27.56 and last traded at $28.78, with a volume of 87296 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.27.

The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.18). Koppers had a net margin of 3.55% and a return on equity of 16.71%.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This is an increase from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Koppers’s payout ratio is presently 9.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KOP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com upgraded Koppers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Koppers by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 70,685 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,290,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Koppers by 5.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,038 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Koppers during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its holdings in Koppers by 277.2% during the third 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. Institutional investors own 92.75% of the company’s stock.

Koppers Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $567.96 million, a P/E ratio of 7.90 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $30.96 and a 200 day moving average of $34.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.54 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

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.