William Osborne Sells 600 Shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Stock

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Director William Osborne sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.31, for a total value of $100,986.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 616 shares in the company, valued at $103,678.96. This trade represents a 49.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Quaker Houghton Trading Down 2.0%

KWR stock traded down $3.34 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $167.68. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 151,121 shares, compared to its average volume of 163,194. Quaker Houghton has a 1 year low of $112.18 and a 1 year high of $183.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.89, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.46.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $532.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $504.63 million. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 9.55%. The business’s revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.71 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.59 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This is a positive change from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.79%.

Quaker Houghton announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $250.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KWR. 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 research note on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings raised Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target (up from $172.00) on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KWR. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Quaker Houghton by 165.0% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 556.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Corp raised its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 123.3% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 196 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.