Jefferies Financial Group Lowers Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Price Target to $175.00

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) had its price objective lowered by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $203.00 to $175.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 52.37% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $179.50.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

Quaker Houghton stock traded down $5.72 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $114.86. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 95,052 shares, compared to its average volume of 161,103. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Quaker Houghton has a twelve month low of $95.91 and a twelve month high of $183.01. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $145.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $140.78. The firm has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -957.05, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.43.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.06). Quaker Houghton had a positive return on equity of 8.99% and a negative net margin of 0.13%.The business had revenue of $468.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $465.17 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KWR. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,331,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 1,897.7% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 321,637 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $42,376,000 after purchasing an additional 305,537 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 79.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 661,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $87,204,000 after purchasing an additional 293,977 shares in the last quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter worth $21,132,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter worth $17,982,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

About Quaker Houghton

Quaker Houghton is a global provider of process fluids, chemical specialties and sustainable solutions for industrial applications. The company develops and supplies metalworking fluids, coatings, and corrosion inhibitors, as well as heat transfer, lubrication and additive products designed to improve productivity and extend equipment life. Its portfolio addresses a range of end markets including automotive, aerospace, defense, energy, mining, agriculture and heavy industry.

The company traces its roots back to the founding of Quaker Chemical Corporation in 1918 and Houghton International in 1865.