Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Hits New 12-Month High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

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

The specialty chemicals company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $432.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $445.00 million. Koppers had a return on equity of 16.48% and a net margin of 0.84%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. Koppers has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.200-5.000 EPS.

Koppers Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.09 dividend. 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.00%.

Koppers News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Koppers this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat estimates — Koppers reported $0.70 EPS vs. the $0.59 consensus, showing better-than-expected profitability on a per‑share basis, which likely helped lift the stock today. Koppers (KOP) Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance issued at $4.20–$5.00 — the range encompasses the Street consensus (~$4.68), giving investors a clear earnings target but not a decisive beat; revenue guidance was roughly in line with expectations ($1.9–$2.0B). This provides forward visibility but limited upside surprise. KOPPERS REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL-YEAR 2025 RESULTS; PROVIDES 2026 OUTLOOK
• Neutral Sentiment: Company materials and investor call available — MarketBeat links to the press release, slide deck and conference call for details on segment performance and the cost/capital plans that underpin the guidance. Useful for investors doing a deeper read on assumptions behind the guidance. View Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed and sales declined year-over-year — Q4 sales were $432.7M vs. ~$445M expected and down ~9.3% from the year‑ago quarter, signaling demand pressure that could limit margin expansion despite the EPS beat. Koppers: Q4 Earnings Snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Operational restructuring: Koppers will idle two plants and lay off dozens — the company is taking capacity/cost actions to align production with demand, which may weigh on near-term volumes and create one-time costs but could improve margins longer term. This development adds execution risk to the turnaround story. Koppers to idle two plants, lay off dozens as manufacturer restructures

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KOP. LSV Asset Management grew its position in Koppers by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 954,431 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,724,000 after purchasing an additional 139,600 shares during the period. 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 position in Koppers during the second quarter valued at about $872,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Koppers by 145.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 186,729 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $6,003,000 after purchasing an additional 110,577 shares during the period. Finally, CSM Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Koppers during the 2nd quarter worth $4,725,000. 92.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Koppers Price Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $30.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $731.45 million, a PE ratio of 46.63 and a beta of 1.40.

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.