Villanova Investment Management Co LLC Increases Stake in Koppers Holdings Inc. $KOP

Villanova Investment Management Co LLC raised its stake in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) by 47.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 71,665 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,131 shares during the quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC’s holdings in Koppers were worth $2,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in KOP. Financial Consulate Inc. bought a new stake in Koppers during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Koppers in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Koppers by 258.1% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,930 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted 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. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 23.5% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,235 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 615 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.75% of the company’s stock.

Koppers Stock Performance

Shares of KOP opened at $35.09 on Monday. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.99 and a 52 week high of $35.70. The stock has a market cap of $688.13 million, a P/E ratio of 43.86 and a beta of 1.40. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $29.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. This is an increase from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on KOP shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Koppers from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Koppers from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Koppers presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.50.

About Koppers

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.