US Bancorp DE Grows Stock Holdings in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)

US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) by 145.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,027 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Koppers were worth $66,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KOP. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Koppers during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 83.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,204 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 277.2% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,520 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Koppers during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 345.6% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,905 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 2,253 shares during the last quarter. 92.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Koppers Price Performance

Shares of KOP opened at $30.08 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $616.20 million, a P/E ratio of 8.55 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 2.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $30.29 and a 200 day moving average of $33.91. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.00 and a twelve month high of $56.96.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $477.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Koppers announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. Koppers’s payout ratio is 13.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on KOP shares. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a report on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Koppers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th.

Koppers Company Profile

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.