Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Lowers Stake in Quaker Houghton $KWR

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC cut its stake in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 343,731 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 26,401 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $47,765,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KWR. Chatham Capital Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 worth $1,489,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Quaker Houghton during the fourth quarter valued at about $207,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Quaker Houghton by 195.2% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,953 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $543,000 after purchasing an additional 2,614 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Quaker Houghton by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Quaker Houghton in the third quarter worth about $66,000. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Quaker Houghton Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Quaker Houghton stock opened at $123.99 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $147.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $141.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,033.16, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.43. Quaker Houghton has a 12-month low of $95.91 and a 12-month high of $183.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $468.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $465.17 million. Quaker Houghton had a positive return on equity of 8.99% and a negative net margin of 0.13%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.33 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 16th will be given a dividend of $0.508 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 16th. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is currently -1,691.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KWR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $203.00 price target on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Quaker Houghton has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $193.50.

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.