Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $28.65 and last traded at $28.97, with a volume of 7909 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.76.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $64.00 price target on shares of Koppers in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com upgraded Koppers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th.

Koppers Stock Down 3.2 %

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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $33.02 and a 200-day moving average of $35.67. The firm has a market cap of $584.18 million, a P/E ratio of 8.19 and a beta of 1.83.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last released 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. Koppers had a net margin of 3.55% and a return on equity of 16.71%. The business had revenue of $554.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $571.80 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Koppers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.95%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Koppers

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 128.7% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 60,542 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,212,000 after buying an additional 34,074 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Koppers by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,871 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $15,521,000 after buying an additional 20,586 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Koppers by 356.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 36,941 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,350,000 after buying an additional 28,855 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Koppers during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,022,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position 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. 92.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.