Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Trading Down 4% – Should You Sell?

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) shares dropped 4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $36.96 and last traded at $37.16. Approximately 21,943 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 145,352 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.71.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KOP has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Koppers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Singular Research upgraded shares of Koppers to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th.

Koppers Price Performance

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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $36.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.35. The company has a market capitalization of $765.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.73 and a beta of 1.84.

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

Koppers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. Koppers’s payout ratio is currently 7.95%.

Insider Transactions at Koppers

In related news, Director Stephen R. Tritch sold 3,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.08, for a total value of $131,003.64. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 47,737 shares in the company, valued at $1,770,087.96. The trade was a 6.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.26, for a total transaction of $223,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 314,325 shares in the company, valued at $11,711,749.50. This represents a 1.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,533 shares of company stock worth $544,164. Insiders own 6.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Koppers

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Koppers by 91.8% in the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 770,169 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $28,134,000 after buying an additional 368,709 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Koppers by 586.8% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 196,704 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $7,276,000 after acquiring an additional 168,063 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Koppers during the second quarter worth about $5,671,000. Foundry Partners LLC purchased a new position in Koppers in the 3rd quarter worth about $4,022,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Koppers by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 568,787 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $20,778,000 after purchasing an additional 97,586 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.