Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Shares of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday. The stock had previously closed at $46.03, but opened at $43.71. Koppers shares last traded at $44.01, with a volume of 982 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Koppers from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered Koppers from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.00.

Koppers Stock Down 1.9%

The company has a market cap of $820.94 million, a P/E ratio of -9.20 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $46.65 and a 200 day moving average of $43.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $520.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $506.10 million. Koppers had a negative net margin of 4.59% and a positive return on equity of 14.98%. Koppers’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.48 earnings per share. Koppers has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.800-4.200 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Koppers Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Investors of record on Friday, August 28th were given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 28th. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio is currently -7.63%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Stephen G. Lucas sold 1,308 shares of Koppers stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.55, for a total value of $58,271.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 34,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,530,069.75. This trade represents a 3.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Bradley A. Pearce sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.01, for a total value of $102,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 41,037 shares in the company, valued at $2,093,297.37. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 97,808 shares of company stock worth $4,857,451. 7.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KOP. Assetmark Inc. bought a new position in shares of Koppers during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in Koppers in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Koppers by 25.3% in the 1st quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,297 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 1,070 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Koppers during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Koppers by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 13,694 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $530,000 after buying an additional 1,414 shares during the period. 92.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Koppers Company Profile

Koppers Holdings Inc is a global provider of treated wood products, carbon compounds and specialty chemicals used in infrastructure, transportation and industrial applications. The company’s products include railroad and utility poles, treated lumber, wood preservatives, carbon pitch and other chemicals used in aluminum production, construction, steelmaking and related industries.

Koppers serves railroads, utilities, aluminum producers, infrastructure contractors and industrial manufacturers.