Quaker Houghton $KWR Shares Sold by Quantinno Capital Management LP

Quantinno Capital Management LP reduced its position in shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 37.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,128 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 5,396 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP owned about 0.05% of Quaker Houghton worth $1,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 165.0% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in Quaker Houghton by 556.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 123.3% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on KWR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price (up from $172.00) on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded 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, three have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $187.67.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

NYSE KWR opened at $170.65 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $155.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $146.71. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a PE ratio of 30.42, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.40. Quaker Houghton has a 1 year low of $112.18 and a 1 year high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $532.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $504.63 million. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 9.55%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.71 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.72 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. This is a positive change from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.19%.

Quaker Houghton declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 13th that allows the company to buyback $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to purchase up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Quaker Houghton news, Director William H. Osborne sold 600 shares of the business’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 sale, the director directly owned 616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $103,678.96. The trade was a 49.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total value of $106,557.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $983,655.96. The trade was a 9.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.