Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) Shares Sold by Dana Investment Advisors Inc.

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 224,368 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 12,938 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. owned approximately 1.11% of Koppers worth $7,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted 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 worth $20,778,000 after purchasing an additional 97,586 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 7,500 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Koppers by 83.8% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,204 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 59,460 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Koppers by 31.7% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.75% of the company’s stock.

Koppers Stock Up 2.4 %

KOP stock opened at $28.58 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $30.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.47. The company has a market capitalization of $579.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.12 and a beta of 1.83. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.00 and a 52 week high of $56.96. The company has a current ratio of 2.54, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last announced its 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). The firm had revenue of $477.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $497.00 million. Koppers had a return on equity of 16.71% and a net margin of 3.55%. On average, analysts forecast that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Koppers announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 27th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This is a positive change from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio is 13.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on KOP. StockNews.com cut Koppers from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of Koppers in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

Koppers 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.