Jefferies Financial Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Stock Price

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $203.00 to $175.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 43.29% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on KWR. Wall Street Zen raised Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $179.50.

Quaker Houghton Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of KWR opened at $122.13 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a PE ratio of -1,017.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.43. The business’s 50 day moving average is $144.35 and its 200 day moving average is $140.51. 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 has a 12-month low of $95.91 and a 12-month high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $468.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $465.17 million. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.13% and a positive return on equity of 8.99%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. Research analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 756,988 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $103,942,000 after acquiring an additional 95,100 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 755,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $103,771,000 after acquiring an additional 121,854 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 712,528 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $97,839,000 after acquiring an additional 36,790 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Quaker Houghton by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 596,618 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $66,785,000 after purchasing an additional 50,264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its position in Quaker Houghton by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 469,981 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $64,533,000 after purchasing an additional 118,321 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by 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.