Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $166.00.

KWR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Quaker Houghton from $151.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th.

Insider Transactions at Quaker Houghton

In other Quaker Houghton news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total transaction of $106,557.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $983,655.96. This trade represents a 9.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton during the 3rd quarter worth about $5,035,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $42,376,000 after buying an additional 305,537 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 87,777 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $11,565,000 after acquiring an additional 8,271 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 278,576 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $38,251,000 after acquiring an additional 24,573 shares during the period. Finally, Royce & Associates LP lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 633,886 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $83,514,000 after buying an additional 19,788 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

NYSE KWR opened at $143.53 on Monday. Quaker Houghton has a 52 week low of $103.36 and a 52 week high of $183.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 512.63, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $133.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $142.06.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last released its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $480.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $463.70 million. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 0.22% and a return on equity of 9.03%. Quaker Houghton’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.58 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.19 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is currently 725.00%.

Quaker Houghton Company 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.