Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $168.00.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on KWR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $151.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen cut Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised 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.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

KWR stock opened at $147.97 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.87. Quaker Houghton has a 52 week low of $111.42 and a 52 week high of $183.01. The stock has a market cap of $2.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 528.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.40. 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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.66 by ($0.03). Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 0.22% and a return on equity of 9.03%. The company had revenue of $480.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $463.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.58 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.508 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is presently 725.00%.

Quaker Houghton announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to repurchase $250.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total value 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 represents a 9.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Quaker Houghton

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% during the second 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. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 165.0% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 123.3% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.