Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Receives $168.00 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

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

KWR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $177.00 target price on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Friday.

Quaker Houghton Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of KWR opened at $150.41 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $147.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 537.21, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.40. 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.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $480.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $463.70 million. Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 0.22%.The company’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $250.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is currently 725.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Quaker Houghton news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total transaction of $106,557.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $983,655.96. This trade represents a 9.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Quaker Houghton

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Quaker Houghton during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 284 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Corp raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 123.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.