Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR)’s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $143.70 and traded as high as $160.73. Quaker Houghton shares last traded at $160.1950, with a volume of 683,850 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on KWR. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $151.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $172.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Quaker Houghton has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.00.

Quaker Houghton Stock Up 2.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of 572.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.72. The company has a 50-day moving average of $143.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.70.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 EPS 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 company had revenue of $480.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $463.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.58 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.508 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 725.00%.

Quaker Houghton announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to buyback $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to reacquire up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Quaker Houghton

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KWR. Keybank National Association OH lifted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 2,084 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in Quaker Houghton by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,226 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $580,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 1.0% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,600 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,068,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,782 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.