Quaker Houghton $KWR Shares Sold by Copeland Capital Management LLC

Copeland Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 14.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 265,051 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 43,180 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $32,927,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 556.9% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, First Horizon Corp raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 196 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Monday, June 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $172.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $177.00 price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.67.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

NYSE KWR opened at $150.41 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 537.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.40. Quaker Houghton has a 12-month low of $111.42 and a 12-month high of $183.01. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $147.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.08.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company earned $1.58 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.508 per share. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 725.00%.

Quaker Houghton announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $250.00 million in 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 typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quaker Houghton

In other Quaker Houghton news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total value of $106,557.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $983,655.96. The trade was a 9.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.