Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Price Target Lowered to $175.00 at Jefferies Financial Group

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $203.00 to $175.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 52.37% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price 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. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $179.50.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KWR traded down $5.72 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $114.86. 95,052 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 161,103. Quaker Houghton has a twelve month low of $95.91 and a twelve 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. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $145.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $140.78. The stock has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of -957.05, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.43.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

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

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.