Quaker Houghton $KWR is Royce & Associates LP’s 7th Largest Position

Royce & Associates LP raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 3.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 633,886 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 19,788 shares during the quarter. Quaker Houghton makes up 0.8% of Royce & Associates LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $83,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in KWR. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton during the second quarter worth about $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 87.1% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 54.4% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 673 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

Quaker Houghton stock opened at $147.07 on Friday. Quaker Houghton has a fifty-two week low of $95.91 and a fifty-two week high of $183.01. The company has a market capitalization of $2.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,225.44, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $156.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.42.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on KWR. Wall Street Zen cut Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $203.00 price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $175.67.

Quaker Houghton 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.