Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Trading Up 3.9% – What’s Next?

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR)’s stock price traded up 3.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $171.17 and last traded at $170.77. 17,633 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 161,154 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.31.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on KWR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price (up from $172.00) on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.00.

Quaker Houghton Stock Up 2.7%

The company has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.09, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $158.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.46.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.53. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 9.55%. The firm had revenue of $532.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $504.63 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.71 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.85 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. This is a positive change from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is 36.19%.

Quaker Houghton announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William H. Osborne sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.31, for a total transaction of $100,986.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $103,678.96. This represents a 49.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Quaker Houghton during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton during the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 556.9% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

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.