StockNews.com Upgrades Koppers (NYSE:KOP) to Hold

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

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

Koppers Trading Up 5.8 %

KOP opened at $30.02 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $615.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.53 and a beta of 1.74. Koppers has a 52 week low of $27.00 and a 52 week high of $56.96. The business’s 50 day moving average is $30.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 2.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $477.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $497.00 million. Koppers had a return on equity of 16.71% and a net margin of 3.55%. On average, research analysts predict that Koppers will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

Koppers announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan 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 plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Koppers

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KOP. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Koppers in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Koppers in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Koppers by 83.8% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,204 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Koppers by 277.2% in the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,520 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 1,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Koppers by 145.1% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. 92.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Koppers

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.