Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 8,588 Shares of Quaker Houghton $KWR

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its holdings in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 3.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 241,092 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 8,588 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $31,764,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KWR. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 176.2% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 54,443 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $6,094,000 after purchasing an additional 34,731 shares during the period. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP grew its position in Quaker Houghton by 21.3% in the 2nd quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP now owns 46,853 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,245,000 after purchasing an additional 8,215 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its stake in Quaker Houghton by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 113,200 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $12,672,000 after buying an additional 10,950 shares during the last quarter. Nordwand Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 2nd quarter valued at $280,000. Finally, Capital Fund Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 2nd quarter worth $1,243,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on KWR. Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.67.

Quaker Houghton Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE KWR opened at $160.11 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $141.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.69. The company has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -326.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Quaker Houghton has a 52 week low of $95.91 and a 52 week high of $162.10.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.14. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.48% and a positive return on equity of 8.64%. The company had revenue of $493.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $475.06 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a dividend of $0.508 per share. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -414.29%.

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.