Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Sells 55,133 Shares of Quaker Houghton $KWR

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 48.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,067 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 55,133 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $7,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Quaker Houghton by 1,897.7% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton in the third quarter worth about $5,035,000. QSV Equity Investors LLC purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton in the second quarter worth about $1,191,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 176.2% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 54,443 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $6,094,000 after buying an additional 34,731 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 21.3% in the second quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP now owns 46,853 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $5,245,000 after buying an additional 8,215 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on KWR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $203.00 target price on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $175.67.

Quaker Houghton Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:KWR opened at $129.69 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a PE ratio of -1,080.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $155.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.37. Quaker Houghton has a 12 month low of $95.91 and a 12 month high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $468.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $465.17 million. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.13% and a positive return on equity of 8.99%. Quaker Houghton’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.33 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 16th will be issued a $0.508 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 16th. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,691.67%.

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.