Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Reaches New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Koppers shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $50.07 as investors pushed the stock to fresh highs amid recent momentum.
• Analysts remain upbeat, with several recent upgrades and an average rating of “Moderate Buy”; the consensus price target stands at $52.50, and Barrington Research reiterated a $55 target.
• Recent earnings topped expectations, as Koppers reported $0.57 EPS versus $0.44 expected and revenue of $455.3 million versus $390.1 million estimated, while also maintaining a quarterly dividend of $0.09 per share.

Shares of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $50.07 and last traded at $49.33, with a volume of 23373 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $49.14.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Koppers in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Koppers from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Koppers from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Singular Research upgraded shares of Koppers to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Koppers presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $52.50.

Koppers Trading Up 0.4%

The firm has a market cap of $949.19 million, a P/E ratio of 12.99, a PEG ratio of 11.89 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $43.68 and a 200 day moving average of $37.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 2.71.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $455.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $390.10 million. Koppers had a net margin of 4.10% and a return on equity of 14.53%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.71 earnings per share. Koppers has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.800-4.600 EPS. Analysts predict that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Koppers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. Koppers's payout ratio is presently 9.47%.

Insider Transactions at Koppers

In related news, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 3,412 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.90, for a total value of $149,786.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 436,243 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,151,067.70. This represents a 0.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 7.28% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Koppers

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Koppers by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 71,897 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,013,000 after acquiring an additional 2,212 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Koppers by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 11,602 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Koppers by 1.8% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 107,054 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,998,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Koppers by 3.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 111,031 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,109,000 after purchasing an additional 3,212 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in Koppers by 374.3% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 52,076 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,458,000 after purchasing an additional 41,097 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.75% of the company's stock.

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.

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