Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $149.09 and last traded at $149.1250, with a volume of 39841 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $144.20.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KWR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $149.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $152.33.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a PE ratio of -303.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.33. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $137.35 and its 200 day moving average is $132.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.47.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.14. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.48% and a positive return on equity of 8.64%. The company had revenue of $493.84 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $475.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. Quaker Houghton’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a $0.508 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is presently -414.29%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of 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. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 87.1% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the third quarter valued at about $66,000. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.