Quaker Houghton $KWR Shares Bought by Dean Capital Management

Dean Capital Management grew its holdings in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 25.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,698 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 3,595 shares during the quarter. Dean Capital Management owned 0.10% of Quaker Houghton worth $2,199,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Quaker Houghton by 79.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 661,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $87,204,000 after acquiring an additional 293,977 shares during the period. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton during the fourth quarter worth $21,132,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton during the fourth quarter worth $17,982,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 1,569.5% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 139,290 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $19,126,000 after purchasing an additional 130,947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 755,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $103,771,000 after purchasing an additional 121,854 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KWR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $177.00 price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Friday, July 17th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings raised Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on Quaker Houghton in a research report on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $172.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.67.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KWR opened at $151.06 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $145.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 539.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Quaker Houghton has a 52 week low of $111.42 and a 52 week high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by ($0.03). Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 0.22%.The business had revenue of $480.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $463.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.58 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.508 dividend. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 725.00%.

Quaker Houghton declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to reacquire up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quaker Houghton

In other news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total transaction of $106,557.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,748 shares in the company, valued at $983,655.96. The trade was a 9.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.