Brokerages Set Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) PT at $152.33

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $152.3333.

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

Quaker Houghton Trading Down 3.2%

KWR opened at $138.88 on Friday. Quaker Houghton has a twelve month low of $95.91 and a twelve month high of $148.80. The company has a fifty day moving average of $136.44 and a 200-day moving average of $131.94. The stock has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a PE ratio of -283.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued 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. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.48% and a positive return on equity of 8.64%. The business had revenue of $493.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $475.06 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.508 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is currently -414.29%.

Institutional Trading of Quaker Houghton

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KWR. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $66,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in Quaker Houghton by 3.7% in the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 11,528 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,518,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 199.1% during the third quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 21,131 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,784,000 after acquiring an additional 14,066 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 18.2% during the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 2,419 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 3,639.8% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 79,696 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $10,500,000 after purchasing an additional 77,565 shares during the period. 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.