Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Koppers (NYSE:KOP - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Saturday.

Separately, Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $64.00 price objective on shares of Koppers in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

Koppers Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of KOP traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $28.69. The company had a trading volume of 247,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,147. 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 stock has a market cap of $587.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.15 and a beta of 1.74. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.58. Koppers has a fifty-two week low of $27.00 and a fifty-two week high of $56.96.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.18). The firm 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Koppers will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Remove Ads

Koppers declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 27th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

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 grew its stake in shares of Koppers by 83.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,204 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in Koppers by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 70,685 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,290,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Koppers by 5.8% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Koppers by 277.2% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,520 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Koppers by 145.1% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,027 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.75% of the company's stock.

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.