Nuveen LLC Invests $6.72 Million in Quaker Houghton $KWR

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has made a new investment, purchasing approximately $6.72 million worth of Quaker Houghton shares, reflecting a 0.31% ownership stake in the company.
• Quaker Houghton reported quarterly earnings of $1.71 EPS, falling short of the expected $1.82 EPS, but its revenue of $483.4 million surpassed estimates.
• The company has announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.508, representing a 1.4% yield, with the payment scheduled for October 31st.

Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 54,360 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $6,719,000. Nuveen LLC owned 0.31% of Quaker Houghton at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 400.0% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 230 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 390.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 363 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 119.7% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 391 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 200.0% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,053 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quaker Houghton Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:KWR traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $145.17. The company had a trading volume of 219,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 156,094. The company has a current ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a 50-day moving average of $126.58 and a 200 day moving average of $120.59. The company has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -337.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.38. Quaker Houghton has a 1 year low of $95.91 and a 1 year high of $180.96.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.82 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $483.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $463.57 million. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.39% and a positive return on equity of 8.35%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 17th will be issued a $0.508 dividend. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 17th. This is an increase from Quaker Houghton's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Quaker Houghton's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -451.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on KWR. 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 report on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $135.00 price target on Quaker Houghton and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $150.75.

Quaker Houghton 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.