Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) Position Increased by Hennessy Advisors Inc.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP - Free Report) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 184,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 11,800 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.91% of Koppers worth $5,978,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in Koppers by 128.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 60,542 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,212,000 after acquiring an additional 34,074 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 5.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,871 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $15,521,000 after purchasing an additional 20,586 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Koppers by 356.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 36,941 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,350,000 after purchasing an additional 28,855 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Koppers by 20.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 568,787 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $20,778,000 after purchasing an additional 97,586 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC purchased a new position in Koppers during the third quarter worth about $4,022,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.75% of the company's stock.

Koppers Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE KOP traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $31.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 105,900 shares, compared to its average volume of 158,789. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.54 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.25 and a 52-week high of $58.23. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $34.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $646.39 million, a P/E ratio of 9.06 and a beta of 1.86.

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

Koppers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. Koppers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.95%.

Insider Activity at Koppers

In related news, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.92, for a total transaction of $189,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 315,129 shares in the company, valued at $11,949,691.68. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen R. Tritch sold 3,533 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.08, for a total transaction of $131,003.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 47,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,770,087.96. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,533 shares of company stock valued at $544,164 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.55% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on KOP. StockNews.com upgraded Koppers from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Singular Research raised shares of Koppers to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th.

Koppers Company Profile

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.