Jane Street Group LLC Decreases Position in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)

Jane Street Group LLC cut its stake in shares of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP - Free Report) by 81.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,979 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 49,563 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC owned about 0.05% of Koppers worth $356,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Koppers in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Koppers by 145.1% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,027 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Koppers during the fourth quarter worth approximately $136,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Koppers by 196.7% during the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 5,637 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $183,000 after acquiring an additional 3,737 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners bought a new stake in Koppers during the fourth quarter worth approximately $243,000. 92.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Koppers Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:KOP traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $31.62. The stock had a trading volume of 123,278 shares, compared to its average volume of 154,744. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $22.99 and a one year high of $44.19. The company has a market capitalization of $632.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.98 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $27.41 and a 200 day moving average of $30.25. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $456.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $488.00 million. Koppers had a return on equity of 16.71% and a net margin of 3.55%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.62 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

Koppers announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 27th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Koppers Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. Koppers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Koppers from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $64.00 price objective on shares of Koppers in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th.

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.