Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Hits New 12-Month High Following Strong Earnings

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $36.98 and last traded at $35.29, with a volume of 16779 shares. The stock had previously closed at $34.52.

The specialty chemicals company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.11. Koppers had a return on equity of 16.48% and a net margin of 0.84%.During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.77 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Koppers has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.200-5.000 EPS.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. This is an increase from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KOP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Koppers from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Koppers from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.50.

Institutional Trading of Koppers

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Consulate Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Koppers in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Koppers in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Koppers by 258.1% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,930 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 95.6% in the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 2,130 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Koppers by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,235 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 615 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.75% of the company’s stock.

Koppers Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $30.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.02. The company has a current ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $694.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.24 and a beta of 1.40.

Koppers Company Profile

Koppers Company, Inc is a global specialty chemicals and materials manufacturer serving diverse industrial markets. The company operates through two primary segments: Carbon Materials & Chemicals, which produces a range of coal tar–based products, phenolic specialties and carbon compounds; and Railroad Products & Services, which offers wood treating and infrastructure services for rail and utility customers.

In its Carbon Materials & Chemicals segment, Koppers supplies coal tar pitch, refined creosote, coal tar‐based distillates and phenolic resins used in aluminum smelting, graphite electrode manufacture, carbon fiber production, and water treatment applications.