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 report published on Thursday morning.

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

Koppers Price Performance

KOP opened at $30.02 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 2.54. Koppers has a 52-week low of $27.00 and a 52-week high of $56.96. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $30.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $615.07 million, a PE ratio of 8.53 and a beta of 1.74.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last announced its quarterly 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). Koppers had a net margin of 3.55% and a return on equity of 16.71%. The firm had revenue of $477.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $497.00 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Koppers will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

Koppers announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, February 27th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This is a positive change from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.17%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in Koppers by 265.8% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 10,626 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $344,000 after purchasing an additional 7,721 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Koppers by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 63,462 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,056,000 after purchasing an additional 21,565 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in Koppers by 332.1% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 33,700 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,092,000 after purchasing an additional 25,900 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in Koppers by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 68,209 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,210,000 after purchasing an additional 26,529 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming increased its holdings in Koppers by 66.3% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,422 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,763 shares during the period. 92.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.