Emerald Investment Advisers LLC Acquires New Shares in Quaker Houghton $KWR

Emerald Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 28,670 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $4,555,000. Emerald Investment Advisers LLC owned 0.17% of Quaker Houghton at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KWR. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton in the second quarter valued at about $335,290,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 756,988 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $103,942,000 after purchasing an additional 95,100 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 19.2% during 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. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 750,789 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $93,271,000 after purchasing an additional 38,261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 596,618 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $66,785,000 after purchasing an additional 50,264 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William H. Osborne sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.31, for a total transaction of $100,986.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 616 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,678.96. This represents 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 firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total transaction of $106,557.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $983,655.96. This trade represents a 9.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Quaker Houghton Stock Down 1.1%

KWR stock opened at $162.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 1.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.40. Quaker Houghton has a fifty-two week low of $112.18 and a fifty-two week high of $183.01. The business has a 50-day moving average of $157.48 and a 200-day moving average of $147.15.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $532.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $504.63 million. Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.55% and a net margin of 4.94%.Quaker Houghton's revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, May 13th that allows the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from Quaker Houghton's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. Quaker Houghton's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on KWR shares. Weiss Ratings raised Quaker Houghton from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price target (up from $172.00) on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $187.67.

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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