Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the five analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $187.6667.

KWR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (up from $172.00) on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research raised Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William H. Osborne sold 600 shares of Quaker Houghton stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.31, for a total value of $100,986.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $103,678.96. The trade was a 49.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 in the company, valued at $983,655.96. This represents a 9.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Quaker Houghton

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Quaker Houghton by 165.0% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the second quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in Quaker Houghton by 556.9% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Quaker Houghton Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE KWR opened at $170.65 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $155.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $146.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Quaker Houghton has a 52 week low of $112.18 and a 52 week high of $183.01. The company has a market capitalization of $2.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.40.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.53. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 9.55%. The company had revenue of $532.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $504.63 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.71 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is presently 36.19%.

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

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.