Ieq Capital LLC Takes $243,000 Position in Quaker Houghton $KWR

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC has acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton valued at approximately $243,000, acquiring 1,963 shares of the specialty chemicals company during the first quarter.
• Quaker Houghton plans to increase its quarterly dividend to $0.508, payable on October 31st, representing an annualized payout of $2.03 and a yield of 1.4%.
• The stock price of Quaker Houghton opened at $144.63, with a market cap of $2.52 billion and a current analyst consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,963 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $243,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 3.0% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 75,954 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $9,389,000 after purchasing an additional 2,193 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Quaker Houghton by 390.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 363 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Quaker Houghton by 25.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,882 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $480,000 after acquiring an additional 778 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Quaker Houghton by 5.8% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,229 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $770,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Quaker Houghton by 8.1% during the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,876 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $1,592,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

Quaker Houghton stock opened at $144.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 2.56. The firm has a market cap of $2.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -336.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.44. The business's fifty day moving average is $129.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.57. Quaker Houghton has a 52 week low of $95.91 and a 52 week 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.11). Quaker Houghton had a positive return on equity of 8.35% and a negative net margin of 0.39%.The business had revenue of $483.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $463.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. Quaker Houghton's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Friday, October 17th will be given a $0.508 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 17th. This is a positive change from Quaker Houghton's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Quaker Houghton's dividend payout ratio is -472.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Quaker Houghton from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $135.00 price objective on Quaker Houghton and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $150.75.

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.

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