Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Sets New 52-Week High Following Earnings Beat

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $36.98 and last traded at $35.29, with a volume of 16779 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $34.52.

The specialty chemicals company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $432.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $445.00 million. Koppers had a net margin of 2.98% and a return on equity of 15.85%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.77 EPS. Koppers has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.200-5.000 EPS.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from Koppers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Key Headlines Impacting Koppers

Here are the key news stories impacting Koppers this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price target (~45% upside vs. current levels), which supports upside momentum and may attract buy interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Koppers beat Q4 EPS estimates ($0.70 vs. $0.59 consensus) and provided FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $4.20–$5.00, roughly in line with analyst expectations — a combination that likely underpins the stock’s strength. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors can review the full Q4 earnings call transcript and highlights for color on demand trends, margin drivers and capital allocation plans; these details will matter for sustaining sentiment but are not a clear directional catalyst on their own. Earnings Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined ~9.3% year‑over‑year to $432.7M and missed the consensus (~$445M), signaling softer demand in the quarter — a headwind that tempers the EPS beat and raises questions on topline recovery. Zacks Article
• Negative Sentiment: Koppers announced it will idle two plants and lay off dozens as part of a restructuring, which could reduce near‑term production and create execution risk (and PR/headcount costs) even if it improves longer‑term margin structure. BizJournals Article

Analyst Ratings Changes

KOP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Koppers from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Koppers in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Koppers from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Koppers currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Simcoe Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Koppers during the 4th quarter worth $22,032,000. CSM Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Koppers in the second quarter valued at about $4,725,000. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in Koppers by 17.1% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 954,431 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,724,000 after buying an additional 139,600 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Koppers during the third quarter valued at about $3,635,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Koppers by 145.2% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 186,729 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $6,003,000 after acquiring an additional 110,577 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.75% of the company’s stock.

Koppers Stock Up 1.4%

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $30.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 2.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $740.73 million, a PE ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 1.40.

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.