Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $828,000 Stake in Koppers Holdings Inc. $KOP

Lazard Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) by 72.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,395 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 57,634 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.11% of Koppers worth $828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Simcoe Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Koppers during the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,032,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in Koppers in the 1st quarter valued at $6,269,000. Seizert Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Koppers by 209.4% in the fourth quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 112,401 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,044,000 after purchasing an additional 76,068 shares in the last quarter. JB Capital Partners LP acquired a new position in Koppers in the fourth quarter worth $1,896,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Koppers during the third quarter worth $1,730,000. 92.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Koppers Stock Down 1.7%

NYSE KOP opened at $51.10 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $982.71 million, a P/E ratio of 13.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.58 and a beta of 1.25. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $25.00 and a 52 week high of $52.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 2.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $46.03 and a 200-day moving average of $39.92.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $455.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $390.10 million. Koppers had a return on equity of 14.53% and a net margin of 4.10%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.71 earnings per share. Koppers has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.800-4.600 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.13 EPS for the current year.

Koppers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 28th. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.47%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 3,412 shares of Koppers stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.90, for a total transaction of $149,786.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 436,243 shares in the company, valued at $19,151,067.70. The trade was a 0.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 7.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Singular Research raised Koppers to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Koppers from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Koppers in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Koppers presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.50.

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.