Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Invests $3.32 Million in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 26,873 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $3,322,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.15% of Quaker Houghton as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KWR. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 400.0% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 230 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 390.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 363 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 119.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 391 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 665 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

KWR traded up $5.11 on Friday, hitting $119.53. 147,956 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 171,958. The company has a 50 day moving average of $117.07 and a 200-day moving average of $121.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.37. Quaker Houghton has a 12-month low of $95.91 and a 12-month high of $180.96.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.82 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $483.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $463.57 million. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 5.20% and a return on equity of 8.86%. The firm's revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.508 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 17th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Quaker Houghton's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Quaker Houghton's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group raised Quaker Houghton from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $159.25.

Quaker Houghton Company Profile

Quaker Chemical Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, produces, and markets various formulated specialty chemical products for a range of heavy industrial and manufacturing applications in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It offers metal removal fluids, cleaning fluids, corrosion inhibitors, metal drawing and forming fluids, die-cast mold releases, heat treatment and quenchants, metal forging fluids, hydraulic fluids, specialty greases, offshore sub-sea energy control fluids, rolling lubricants, rod and wire drawing fluids, and surface treatment chemicals.