Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Koppers Holdings Inc. $KOP

Key Points

• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. reduced its holdings in Koppers Holdings Inc. by 8.8%, selling 11,450 shares to own 119,366 shares valued at $3.34 million.
• Koppers reported disappointing earnings, missing the consensus estimate with an EPS of $1.48 and revenue of $504.80 million, down 10.4% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.1%, with a dividend payout ratio of 44.44%.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. decreased its position in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP - Free Report) by 8.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 119,366 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 11,450 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned 0.58% of Koppers worth $3,342,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Koppers in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Koppers in the 1st quarter worth approximately $49,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 112.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,835 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 973 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 97,600.0% in the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 1,954 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,952 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 66.3% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,422 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,763 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.75% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Barrington Research dropped their target price on Koppers from $64.00 to $55.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 8th. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $50.00 target price (down previously from $55.00) on shares of Koppers in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Koppers from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $52.50.

Koppers Trading Down 0.5%

KOP traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $28.76. 177,708 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 158,547. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $31.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.69. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.99 and a 52-week high of $39.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $567.15 million, a PE ratio of 39.94 and a beta of 1.46.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.01). Koppers had a net margin of 0.76% and a return on equity of 17.43%. The business had revenue of $504.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $540.30 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.36 EPS. Koppers's revenue was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Koppers has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.000-4.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Koppers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Koppers's dividend payout ratio is currently 44.44%.

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.