Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Thursday.

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

Koppers Stock Up 5.8 %

Shares of NYSE:KOP opened at $30.02 on Thursday. 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 has a 52-week low of $27.00 and a 52-week high of $56.96. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.04. The company has a market capitalization of $615.07 million, a P/E ratio of 8.53 and a beta of 1.74.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $477.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $497.00 million. Koppers had a net margin of 3.55% and a return on equity of 16.71%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Koppers will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Koppers declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 27th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to purchase up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Koppers

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in Koppers by 265.8% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 10,626 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $344,000 after acquiring an additional 7,721 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Koppers by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 63,462 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,056,000 after acquiring an additional 21,565 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in Koppers by 332.1% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 33,700 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,092,000 after acquiring an additional 25,900 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in Koppers by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 68,209 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,210,000 after acquiring an additional 26,529 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming increased its stake in Koppers by 66.3% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,422 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,763 shares during the last quarter. 92.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.