Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $174.6667.

A number of research analysts have commented on KWR shares. Zacks Research raised Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Seaport Research Partners raised 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. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $172.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Quaker Houghton news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of Quaker Houghton stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total value of $106,557.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,748 shares in the company, valued at $983,655.96. The trade was a 9.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 67,340.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 16,860 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,315,000 after buying an additional 16,835 shares in the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its stake in Quaker Houghton by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 278,576 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $38,251,000 after buying an additional 24,573 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Quaker Houghton by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 406,329 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $55,793,000 after buying an additional 120,772 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 755,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $103,771,000 after acquiring an additional 121,854 shares during the period. Finally, Dean Capital Management raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 163.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 31,349 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $4,130,000 after acquiring an additional 19,446 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

KWR opened at $148.11 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $147.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.16. Quaker Houghton has a 52-week low of $111.42 and a 52-week high of $183.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.57 billion, a PE ratio of 529.00, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.40.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by ($0.03). Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 0.22% and a return on equity of 9.03%. The firm had revenue of $480.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $463.70 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.58 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

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

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

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.