Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Quaker Houghton $KWR

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its stake in Quaker Houghton by 9.7% in Q4 to 278,576 shares (about a 1.61% ownership) worth roughly $38.25 million, and institutional investors now own ~77.46% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment has softened to a consensus "Hold" with a $179.50 target after recent rating and price-target reductions from firms including Wall Street Zen, RBC and Jefferies.
• Quaker Houghton announced a quarterly dividend of $0.508 per share (annualized $2.03, ~1.6% yield), with an ex-dividend date of April 16 and payment on April 30.

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its position in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Free Report) by 9.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 278,576 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 24,573 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned approximately 1.61% of Quaker Houghton worth $38,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 7.1% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. now owns 10,844 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,489,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 1.7% in the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 7,224 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $809,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 6.9% in the third quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 2,073 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on KWR. Wall Street Zen cut Quaker Houghton from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $179.50.

Quaker Houghton Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE KWR opened at $127.29 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.36. The firm has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a PE ratio of -1,060.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.43. Quaker Houghton has a twelve month low of $98.25 and a twelve month high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $468.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $465.17 million. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.13% and a positive return on equity of 8.99%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.508 per share. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 16th. Quaker Houghton's payout ratio is presently -1,691.67%.

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.

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