Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $152.3333.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on KWR shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. 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 company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the third quarter worth $28,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 284.8% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 87.1% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton in the third quarter worth about $66,000. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

NYSE:KWR opened at $143.09 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $135.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.26. Quaker Houghton has a 52 week low of $95.91 and a 52 week high of $148.80. The stock has a market cap of $2.48 billion, a PE ratio of -292.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $493.84 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $475.06 million. Quaker Houghton had a positive return on equity of 8.64% and a negative net margin of 0.48%.The firm’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

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

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.