Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Here's Why

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on KOP shares. StockNews.com raised Koppers from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Singular Research raised shares of Koppers to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th.

Koppers Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.54, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The company's fifty day moving average is $35.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.44. The stock has a market cap of $624.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76 and a beta of 1.86.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.12. Koppers had a net margin of 3.55% and a return on equity of 16.71%. The firm had revenue of $554.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $571.80 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Koppers Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.91%. Koppers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.95%.

Insider Activity at Koppers

In other news, Director Stephen R. Tritch sold 3,533 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the director now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 5,000 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 315,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,949,691.68. This trade represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 quarter. 6.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KOP. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Koppers by 91.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 770,169 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $28,134,000 after purchasing an additional 368,709 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Koppers by 586.8% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 196,704 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $7,276,000 after buying an additional 168,063 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Koppers during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,022,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Koppers by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 568,787 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $20,778,000 after acquiring an additional 97,586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Koppers by 137.9% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 102,586 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,747,000 after purchasing an additional 59,460 shares in the last quarter. 92.75% of the stock is currently 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.