Stock fact sheet · data as of
Koppers Holdings Inc. (KOP): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol KOP · Basic Materials · Chemicals - Specialty · United States · Speculative
Is KOP undervalued?
At 42.89 (close of 5 Nov 2026), KOP trades 30% below the GLS average fair value of 61.30. That average comes from 3 models run on the latest filings, and 1 of them land above the current price. Margins of safety over 30% are the exception rather than the rule across the ~7,400 stocks we value each night, so the number earns Koppers Holdings Inc. the full Value points in the Wheel Score - and a closer look at what the market is pricing in.
Only 3 of the nine models produced a value (DCF, 10 Cap, DDM); the others need a dividend, positive free cash flow or positive book value the company does not have yet, so the average rests on a narrow base.
The nightly engine files KOP under Speculative - it is losing money or its Piotroski health score is 3 or lower - which caps its Wheel Score at 45 and keeps it out of the Sunday Scan.
Nine valuation models for KOP
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 28.50 | -34% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | - | - | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share; no value tonight |
| Graham Growth | - | - | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields; no value tonight |
| Lynch | - | - | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25%; no value tonight |
| GLS Growth | - | - | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year; no value tonight |
| 10 Cap | 150.24 | +250% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | - | - | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself; no value tonight |
| DDM | 5.15 | -88% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | - | - | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth; no value tonight |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -34.04 | -179% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 55.00 | +28% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Financial health is weak: KOP passes 4 of the nine Piotroski tests. Our scans drop the stock at the health filter; a low score is often the reason a stock looks cheap on the valuation models. The GLS Moat score is 5.0 out of 10: a record that is solid on some of the four parts the score weighs (returns on capital, pricing power, lasting growth, balance sheet) and weaker on others.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC 3.5%, ROE 9.8%, ROA 3.0% - with debt at 1.78 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 17.1%.
The dividend yield is 0.82% with a payout ratio of -8% - a small yield that leaves most of the earnings in the business. Revenue comes mainly from Railroad And Utility Products And Servi… 70%, Carbon Materials And Chemicals 30% (quarter Q2 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 4 / 9 | ROIC | 3.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 5.0 / 10 | ROE | 9.8% |
| Debt / equity | 1.78 | ROA | 3.0% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 17.1% | Payout ratio | -8% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 44: Weak
KOP scores 44 out of 100 on the Wheel Score, in the Weak band (under 50): it fails filter 1, options that actually trade - options too quiet (575 open interest, 42 a day); and filter 2, a real business, not a gamble - speculative (a loss, or a weak Piotroski score); and filter 4, financially healthy - Piotroski 4/9 (under 6); and filter 5, can repay its debt - 7.5 years to repay its debt (over 3); and filter 8, big enough - market cap $811M (under $1.0B), and the parts are thin too - value strong, premium strong, moat fair, health fair, red flags fair, option trading weak, stability fair. The score is not a judgement on the company; it says the price, quality and premium do not line up for selling puts on it today.
Implied volatility is 47% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - inside the 35-60% sweet spot the Wheel Score rewards most: enough premium to be worth selling, not so much that the risk is unpaid. Chain open interest is thin - 575 contracts across every expiry - so fills at a fair price are not guaranteed; a 30-45-day put may not exist at a usable strike.
Volume runs at 118k shares a day on a market cap of $811M, with a beta of 1.22 - a high beta, so the stock tends to move more than the market and a strike can be gapped through; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Fails | options too quiet (575 open interest, 42 a day) |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Fails | speculative (a loss, or a weak Piotroski score) |
| 3 | Below fair value | Passes | Trading below the nine-model average fair value (margin of safety above 0) |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Fails | Piotroski 4/9 (under 6) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Fails | 7.5 years to repay its debt (over 3) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Fails | market cap $811M (under $1.0B) |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Strong | 30% below fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 47% | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 5.0/10 | |
| Health | Fair | Piotroski 4/9 | |
| Red Flags | Fair | Red Flags score 75/100 | |
| Option trading | Weak | 42 contracts a day, 575 open interest | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 1.22, $811M company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
Koppers Holdings Inc. reports earnings on 6 Nov 2026 (before the open) - inside the 14-day window the Sunday Scan avoids, because a put sold now would carry the report's gap risk.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Chemicals - Specialty
The 12 companies below are the closest to Koppers Holdings Inc. by market cap within the Chemicals - Specialty industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KRO Kronos Worldwide, Inc. | 7.74 | 7.44 | -4% | 30Weak | $891M |
| ODC Oil-Dri Corporation of America | 70.94 | 136.45 | +48% | 36No options | $952M |
| MATV Mativ Holdings, Inc. | 12.10 | 28.49 | +58% | 47Weak | $668M |
| LWLG Lightwave Logic, Inc. | 4.30 | 0.5222 | -723% | 18Weak | $663M |
| ECVT Ecovyst Inc. | 9.97 | 7.04 | -42% | 30Weak | $1.1B |
| RYAM Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. | 7.15 | 24.55 | +71% | 33Weak | $484M |
| ASIX AdvanSix Inc. | 15.52 | 25.40 | +39% | 42Weak | $419M |
| SCL Stepan Co | 70.65 | 15.17 | -366% | 37Weak | $1.6B |
| ASPN Aspen Aerogels, Inc. | 4.80 | 10.47 | +54% | 27Weak | $398M |
| SINC Sincerity Applied Materials Holdings Corp. | 1.00 | 0.3023 | -231% | 12No options | $2.0B |
| IOSP Innospec Inc. | 80.65 | 102.86 | +22% | 47Weak | $2.0B |
| OEC Orion S.A. | 5.87 | 20.52 | +71% | 32Weak | $331M |
Scan the whole market the same way
A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the top 10 stocks that pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about KOP
Is KOP undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, yes: at 42.89 the stock is 30% below the average fair value of 61.30 (data as of 5 Nov 2026). Whether the discount is deserved is the question to research next.
What is the Wheel Score of KOP and what does it mean?
KOP scores 44 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 1, 2, 4, 5, 8. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for KOP?
61.30 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 3 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Koppers Holdings Inc. report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 6 Nov 2026 (before the open), 1 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does KOP have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 24 listed contracts with 575 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 47% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.