Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,029,377 shares, an increase of 21.4% from the December 31st total of 848,204 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 136,926 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 7.5 days. Currently, 5.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 5.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 136,926 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 7.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on KOP shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Koppers from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Koppers from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Koppers presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Koppers during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,635,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Koppers during the 2nd quarter valued at $872,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Koppers by 145.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 186,729 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $6,003,000 after buying an additional 110,577 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Koppers by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,248,032 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,124,000 after acquiring an additional 26,704 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its position in shares of Koppers by 7.4% in the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 814,831 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,197,000 after acquiring an additional 56,170 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.75% of the company’s stock.

Koppers Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of NYSE:KOP opened at $31.21 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $612.03 million, a PE ratio of 39.01 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 2.63. Koppers has a 52-week low of $22.99 and a 52-week high of $35.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $28.50 and a 200 day moving average of $28.90.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by ($0.04). Koppers had a net margin of 0.84% and a return on equity of 16.48%. The firm had revenue of $485.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $516.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.37 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. Koppers has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.000-4.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Koppers will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.