Koppers (NYSE:KOP) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.13 EPS

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) released its quarterly earnings results on Friday. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.13, Briefing.com reports. Koppers had a net margin of 2.98% and a return on equity of 15.47%. The business had revenue of $455.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $402.70 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.71 earnings per share. Koppers’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Koppers updated its FY 2026 guidance to 3.800-4.600 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Koppers’ conference call:

• Stickney wind‑down announced — conditional shutdown of the Stickney, IL distillation site with expected pre‑tax charges of $227M–$262M (including $170M–$195M non‑cash in Q2–Q3 2026) but management expects $15M–$20M annual adjusted EBITDA savings from 2027 and an estimated $1.00–$1.20 uplift to adjusted EPS, plus $8M–$15M less annual CapEx going forward.
• Strong cash generation in Q1 — adjusted EBITDA of $49.3M (10.8% margin), record Q1 operating cash flow $46.3M and free cash flow $34.9M, $29M of share repurchases, a 12.5% dividend increase to $0.09/quarter, and net leverage at 3.5x with a stated goal to reach 2.0–3.0x.
• 2026 outlook updated — consolidated sales guidance maintained at $1.9B–$2.0B but adjusted EBITDA guidance trimmed to $240M–$260M (down for oil‑price impact); adjusted EPS guidance is $3.80–$4.60 while management expects 2026 to be an inflection point for sustainably higher cash flow.
• CMC segment remains pressured — Q1 CMC sales fell to $93M with adjusted EBITDA of $1M (vs. $10M prior year) due to lower prices, higher raw‑material costs and market turmoil, driving the Stickney consolidation and near‑term revenue/earnings reductions for the segment.
• Performance Chemicals outperformance but cost risks — PC sales rose 18% to $142M with 15% volume growth and market‑share gains, supporting a slightly higher sales outlook, though input pressures (notably copper and fuel) require pricing and procurement actions to protect margins.

Koppers Price Performance

Shares of KOP traded up $2.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $43.93. The company had a trading volume of 334,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 131,975. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.36. Koppers has a 1-year low of $25.00 and a 1-year high of $46.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 2.94. The company has a market capitalization of $849.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86, a P/E/G ratio of 9.84 and a beta of 1.28.

Koppers Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.00%.

More Koppers News

Here are the key news stories impacting Koppers this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Koppers reported first-quarter EPS of $0.57, beating estimates of $0.44, and revenue of $455.3 million also came in above expectations, signaling better-than-expected near-term performance. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per share, which can help support investor sentiment even though the yield is modest. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Koppers also updated FY2026 guidance to EPS of $3.80-$4.60 and revenue of $1.9 billion-$2.0 billion, which is roughly in line on sales but brackets analyst EPS expectations and may keep the market focused on execution.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company announced a conditional plan to discontinue operations at its Stickney, Illinois facility as part of a restructuring effort. Management says the move is intended to improve margins and cash flow, but it also reflects challenging market conditions and could involve costs and employee impacts. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: While guidance for revenue was broadly in line, the full-year EPS range suggests uncertainty around profitability, which may temper enthusiasm after the earnings beat.

Insider Buying and Selling at Koppers

In other news, CEO M Leroy Ball sold 2,489 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.91, for a total value of $94,357.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 447,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,963,170.69. This trade represents a 0.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Koppers

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KOP. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Koppers by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 71,897 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,013,000 after purchasing an additional 2,212 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Koppers by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 11,602 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Koppers by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 107,054 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,998,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Koppers by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 111,031 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,109,000 after purchasing an additional 3,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Koppers by 374.3% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 52,076 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,458,000 after purchasing an additional 41,097 shares in the last quarter. 92.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Koppers from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Koppers from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Koppers from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company 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.