JPMorgan Chase & Co. Acquires 75,022 Shares of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP - Free Report) by 112.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 141,582 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 75,022 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.70% of Koppers worth $4,587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KOP. EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Koppers by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 12,183 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 2,212 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Koppers during the fourth quarter valued at $136,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Koppers by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 50,012 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,620,000 after purchasing an additional 6,409 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its holdings in Koppers by 90.3% during the 4th quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 9,188 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 4,360 shares during the period. Finally, Semanteon Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Koppers during the fourth quarter valued at about $287,000. 92.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on KOP. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Koppers from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 22nd. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of Koppers in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Koppers Stock Performance

NYSE KOP traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $24.73. The company had a trading volume of 16,393 shares, compared to its average volume of 157,324. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.99 and a fifty-two week high of $54.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 2.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.85. The stock has a market cap of $506.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.03 and a beta of 1.50.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.18). The company 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This is a positive change from Koppers's previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. Koppers's payout ratio is currently 13.17%.

Koppers declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.