Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New Investment in Quaker Houghton $KWR

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 6,100 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $758,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Quaker Houghton by 79.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 661,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $87,204,000 after purchasing an additional 293,977 shares in the last quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 4th quarter valued at $21,132,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 4th quarter valued at $17,982,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Quaker Houghton by 1,569.5% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 139,290 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $19,126,000 after purchasing an additional 130,947 shares during the period. Finally, Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 755,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $103,771,000 after purchasing an additional 121,854 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Quaker Houghton

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial began coverage on Quaker Houghton in a research report on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $172.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Quaker Houghton from $151.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research 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 for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Quaker Houghton has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.00.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KWR traded down $4.16 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $155.27. The stock had a trading volume of 7,462 shares, compared to its average volume of 165,133. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.45. The stock has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of 558.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.40. Quaker Houghton has a one year low of $111.42 and a one year high of $183.01. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $145.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.67.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $480.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $463.70 million. Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 0.22%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is 725.00%.

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.