Koppers Holdings Inc. (KOP) · Nov 6, 2026 · Earnings
Miss — Adjusted EPS $0.77 vs ~$1.35 consensus
Koppers’ third-quarter earnings missed sharply as raw-material and logistics costs crushed margins, forcing another 2026 guidance cut despite stronger cash flow.
Koppers is in the late stage of its Catalyst transformation, trying to shift the portfolio toward higher-margin Performance Chemicals while closing or idling structurally weak CMC and RUPS facilities. The plan was already supposed to create meaningful benefits from the Stickney closure and other network actions, but raw-material volatility and weak end markets remain the immediate operating reality.
| Metric | Q3 2026 / FY26 current | Q3 2025 / FY26 prior | Consensus or prior guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net sales (Financial Highlights) | $499.1M | $485.3M | ~$518M |
| Adjusted EPS (Financial Highlights) | $0.77 | $1.21 | ~$1.35 |
| Adjusted EBITDA (Financial Highlights) | $58.0M | $70.9M | — |
| FY26 adjusted EBITDA (Forecast) | $220M-$225M | — | $240M-$250M |
| FY26 adjusted EPS (Forecast) | $3.10-$3.25 | — | $3.80-$4.20 |
| FY26 operating cash flow (Forecast) | $165M-$185M | — | $165M-$185M |
| FY26 free cash flow (Forecast) | $115M-$135M | — | $110M-$130M |
The quarter missed badly on earnings, not sales. Revenue rose 2.8% to $499.1 million, but adjusted EPS fell 36.4% to $0.77, versus published consensus of roughly $1.35; the gap shows that the problem is conversion of sales into profit, not simply demand. The company attributed the EBITDA decline to higher raw-material and logistics costs, with SG&A also up year over year.
The weakness is concentrated in the businesses Catalyst is supposed to repair. Performance Chemicals was the clear bright spot: sales increased 11.9% and adjusted EBITDA rose 13.4% on 10% volume growth and market-share gains. But RUPS EBITDA fell 23.6% as lower crosstie pricing and higher costs offset volume gains, while CMC EBITDA collapsed 60.9% as raw-material costs, poor utilization, feedstock quality issues and the accelerated Stickney closure weighed on results. 〔0〕
Management cut the earnings outlook again, confirming that the margin pressure is lasting longer than expected. FY2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance fell to $220-$225 million from $240-$250 million, and adjusted EPS fell to $3.10-$3.25 from $3.80-$4.20. Sales guidance was effectively maintained at about $1.9 billion, so the downgrade is almost entirely a profitability problem rather than a top-line collapse. 〔1〕
Cash generation is the important offset, but it does not erase the earnings reset. Nine-month operating cash flow reached $126.9 million and free cash flow $92.0 million, both records, helped by working-capital actions and lower inventory; Koppers also reduced net debt by $35.8 million while returning $56.2 million to shareholders. That improves financial flexibility, but the cash improvement is partly working-capital-driven while underlying EBITDA is deteriorating.
The 2027 recovery case is now doing more of the work. Management says commercial actions, the Stickney closure and the Florence plant idling should reset earnings meaningfully higher in 2027, consistent with the transformation plan's previously disclosed focus on cost savings and portfolio rationalization. The filing, however, shows that those benefits have not yet offset current input-cost inflation and weaker demand.
Bottom line: This is a clear earnings miss and another material guidance cut, with Performance Chemicals and cash flow providing only partial offsets. The business is still pursuing the right restructuring path, but the near-term story has worsened because the promised margin recovery is being pushed into 2027.
Catalyst actions take effect in 2027
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