Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $152.3333.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on KWR. Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Quaker Houghton from $149.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

Shares of KWR opened at $157.94 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $140.71 and its 200-day moving average is $135.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.74 billion, a PE ratio of -322.32, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.33. Quaker Houghton has a fifty-two week low of $95.91 and a fifty-two week high of $162.10.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $493.84 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $475.06 million. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.48% and a positive return on equity of 8.64%. Quaker Houghton’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The business 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 $0.508 dividend. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is -414.29%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chatham Capital Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. now owns 10,844 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,489,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter valued at about $207,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 195.2% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,953 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 2,614 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Quaker Houghton by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Quaker Houghton in the 3rd quarter valued at about $66,000. 77.46% of the stock is 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.