Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Raised to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

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

Koppers Trading Down 5.6 %

Koppers stock opened at $28.12 on Friday. Koppers has a 1 year low of $27.00 and a 1 year high of $56.96. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $30.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 2.54 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market cap of $575.96 million, a P/E ratio of 7.99 and a beta of 1.74.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last posted its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $497.00 million. Koppers had a net margin of 3.55% and a return on equity of 16.71%. On average, equities analysts predict that Koppers will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Koppers announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 27th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KOP. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its position in Koppers by 265.8% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 10,626 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $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 position in shares of 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 valued at $2,056,000 after purchasing an additional 21,565 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised 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 valued at $1,092,000 after buying an additional 25,900 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in Koppers by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 68,209 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,210,000 after buying an additional 26,529 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its stake in Koppers by 66.3% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,422 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $143,000 after buying an additional 1,763 shares during the period. 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.