Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Hits New 12-Month High Following Earnings Beat

Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $53.00 and last traded at $52.77, with a volume of 115343 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $51.03.

The specialty chemicals company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.25. Koppers had a return on equity of 14.53% and a net margin of 4.10%.The business had revenue of $520.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $506.10 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Koppers has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.800-4.200 EPS.

Koppers Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 28th will be issued a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 28th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Koppers’s payout ratio is presently 9.47%.

Key Headlines Impacting Koppers

Here are the key news stories impacting Koppers this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Koppers reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.37 per share, well above the $1.12 analyst consensus. Revenue rose 3.0% year over year to $520.1 million, exceeding estimates of $506.1 million. Koppers Q2 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company maintained its quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per share, payable September 14 to shareholders of record August 28. The dividend supports shareholder returns, though the annualized yield is modest at approximately 0.7%. Koppers Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Koppers reaffirmed 2026 revenue guidance of approximately $1.9 billion to $2.0 billion, broadly consistent with Wall Street expectations. Sidoti’s longer-term estimates call for $5.24 in 2028 EPS, suggesting potential earnings growth, but these forecasts are not an immediate catalyst. Koppers Estimates and Company Information
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the adjusted earnings beat, second-quarter EPS declined from $1.48 a year earlier. Koppers also reported a $147.5 million net loss, including $215.8 million in impairment, restructuring and plant-closure costs. These unusual charges may pressure sentiment and highlight execution risks. Koppers Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $3.80 to $4.20 has a $4.00 midpoint, slightly below the $4.10 consensus estimate. This limits the upside from the earnings beat unless future results move toward the top of the range. Koppers Q2 Key Metrics

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 3,412 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.90, for a total transaction of $149,786.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 436,243 shares in the company, valued at $19,151,067.70. This represents a 0.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 7.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KOP. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Koppers by 0.4% during the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,209,376 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,779,000 after purchasing an additional 5,124 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Koppers by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,191,358 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,082,000 after purchasing an additional 17,833 shares in the last quarter. Simcoe Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Koppers in the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,032,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Koppers by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 568,413 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $15,393,000 after purchasing an additional 22,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quaker Capital Investments LLC increased its stake in Koppers by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Quaker Capital Investments LLC now owns 474,865 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $12,859,000 after acquiring an additional 56,500 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.75% of the company’s stock.

Koppers Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.92. The stock has a market cap of $996.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.64, a P/E/G ratio of 12.58 and a beta of 1.25.

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.