Royce & Associates LP Grows Stock Position in Quaker Houghton $KWR

Royce & Associates LP raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 19.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 755,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 121,854 shares during the period. Quaker Houghton makes up about 1.1% of Royce & Associates LP’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $103,771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Quaker Houghton in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Quaker Houghton by 165.0% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in Quaker Houghton by 556.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

Shares of KWR stock opened at $141.72 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $131.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $141.77. Quaker Houghton has a one year low of $103.36 and a one year high of $183.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.46 billion, a PE ratio of 506.15, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.72.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.66 by ($0.03). Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 0.22% and a return on equity of 9.03%. The company had revenue of $480.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $463.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.58 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, May 13th that allows the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a $0.508 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is presently 725.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KWR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Quaker Houghton from $151.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Three equities research 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 stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.00.

Quaker Houghton Profile

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.