Inceptionr LLC Increases Stake in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)

Inceptionr LLC increased its position in shares of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) by 46.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 9,246 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,945 shares during the quarter. Inceptionr LLC’s holdings in Koppers were worth $300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Koppers by 20.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 568,787 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $20,778,000 after buying an additional 97,586 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Koppers by 36.6% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 28,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,023,000 after acquiring an additional 7,500 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Koppers by 83.8% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,204 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Koppers by 137.9% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 102,586 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,747,000 after acquiring an additional 59,460 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Koppers by 31.7% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 44,349 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,620,000 after acquiring an additional 10,677 shares during the last quarter. 92.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KOP. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research report on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Koppers from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

Koppers Trading Up 0.4 %

KOP opened at $29.88 on Monday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $30.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.30. The company has a market capitalization of $612.04 million, a P/E ratio of 8.49 and a beta of 1.74. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.00 and a 52 week high of $56.96.

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

Koppers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.17%.

Koppers declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 27th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to purchase up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.