Short Interest in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) Drops By 36.4%
by Scott Moore · The Cerbat GemKoppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP – Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 808,495 shares, a drop of 36.4% from the November 30th total of 1,271,306 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 131,313 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.2 days. Approximately 4.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Approximately 4.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 131,313 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.2 days.
Koppers Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE KOP traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.44. 115,629 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 136,364. The stock has a market capitalization of $538.00 million, a P/E ratio of 34.29 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.60. Koppers has a twelve month low of $22.99 and a twelve month high of $35.61.
Koppers (NYSE:KOP – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $485.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $516.50 million. Koppers had a net margin of 0.84% and a return on equity of 16.48%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.37 EPS. Koppers has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.000-4.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Koppers will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current year.
Koppers Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Koppers’s payout ratio is 40.00%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of analysts have commented on KOP shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Koppers from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Koppers in a research note on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Koppers currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.50.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on KOP
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Koppers in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Koppers in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in Koppers by 97,600.0% in the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 1,954 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,952 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Koppers by 258.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,930 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in shares of Koppers by 95.6% during the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 2,130 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.