Should I Buy KOP? KOP 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Koppers Holdings Inc (KOP) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

29.660

1 Day change

0.12%

52 Week Range

35.610

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/30

Not a good buy right now for an impatient entry. KOP’s short-term technicals are improving (bullish MACD), but price is sitting just below near-term resistance (~29.97) while options positioning is put-heavy (OI put/call 1.39) and implied volatility is elevated ahead of the Feb 26 earnings event. The setup favors waiting for either a clean breakout above ~30.0–30.5 or a pullback toward support (~29.1 / 28.25) rather than buying immediately.

Technical Analysis

Trend is mildly bullish but not yet a clear breakout. MACD histogram is positive (0.0983) and expanding, indicating building upward momentum. RSI(6) at 66.24 is still technically neutral but close to “hotter” levels, suggesting upside is possible but risk of stalling is rising. Moving averages are converging, consistent with consolidation before a larger move. Key levels: Pivot 29.109 (near-term support), S1 28.248 (stronger support), R1 29.971 (immediate resistance), R2 30.503 (next resistance). With the close at 29.62, KOP is closer to resistance than support, which is unfavorable for an impatient buy.

Options Data

Bearish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Options sentiment leans defensive: open interest is skewed to puts (299 puts vs 215 calls; OI put/call 1.39), which often reflects hedging or bearish positioning into an event window. Implied volatility is very high (30D IV 76.55) with IV percentile 78, suggesting the market is pricing a larger-than-usual move (likely into earnings). Reported volume is very light (12 calls, 0 puts) so today’s flow isn’t very informative, but the elevated IV and put-heavy OI reduce the attractiveness of buying shares right below resistance.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

Bullish/constructive technical momentum (positive, expanding MACD). Improving profitability trend in the latest reported quarter (EPS and net income up YoY; gross margin up). Event catalyst ahead: Q4 and full-year 2025 earnings scheduled for 2026-02-26 pre-market, which can drive a re-rating if results/guide are strong.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Top-line weakness: 2025/Q3 revenue fell -12.45% YoY, which can cap valuation/rally durability. Options market is pricing elevated uncertainty (high IV) and positioning is put-heavy (OI PCR 1.39). Price is near a clear resistance zone (~29.97–30.50), increasing the odds of a near-term stall/rejection rather than immediate upside follow-through. No supportive signals from Intellectia: AI Stock Picker has no signal today; SwingMax has no recent entry signal.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter: 2025/Q3. Revenue declined to $485.3M (-12.45% YoY), but profitability improved: net income rose to $23.8M (+4.39% YoY), EPS increased to 1.18 (+8.26% YoY), and gross margin expanded to 20.48 (+9.87% YoY). Overall: earnings quality/margins are improving despite shrinking sales—good operationally, but the revenue contraction is a key overhang.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

No analyst rating trend or price target change data was provided, so a Wall Street consensus pros/cons view cannot be confirmed from the dataset. Based on fundamentals alone: pros would be margin/EPS improvement; cons would be the meaningful revenue decline and potential cyclicality/event risk into earnings.

1 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast KOP stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for KOP is 55 USD with a low forecast of 55 USD and a high forecast of 55 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

1 Buy

0 Hold

0 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 29.620

Low

Averages

High

Current: 29.620

Low

Averages

High

B. Riley

Liam Burke

Buy

downgrade

$55 -> $50

AI Analysis

2025-08-11

Reason

B. Riley

Liam Burke

Price Target

$55 -> $50

AI Analysis

2025-08-11

downgrade

Buy

Reason

B. Riley analyst Liam Burke lowered the firm's price target on Koppers Holdings to $50 from $55 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares following the company's recent Q2 report.

Barrington

Gary Prestopino

Outperform -> NULL

downgrade

$64 -> $55

2025-08-08

Reason

Barrington

Gary Prestopino

Price Target

$64 -> $55

2025-08-08

downgrade

Outperform -> NULL

Reason

Barrington analyst Gary Prestopino lowered the firm's price target on Koppers Holdings to $55 from $64 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The firm reduced estimates following the company's Q2 report, which is says was challenged by weak end market demand.

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KOP Should I Buy

KOP Should I Buy

Should You Buy Koppers Holdings Inc (KOP) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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