Quaker Houghton $KWR Shares Acquired by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. dramatically increased its Quaker Houghton stake in the fourth quarter, buying enough shares to raise its position by 67,340% to 16,860 shares worth about $2.3 million.
• Quaker Houghton recently reported quarterly EPS of $1.63, slightly below analyst expectations, but revenue came in above estimates at $480.5 million and rose 8.5% year over year.
• The company announced a $250 million share repurchase program and a quarterly dividend of $0.508 per share, while analysts currently hold a consensus rating of Hold with a $166 average price target.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Free Report) by 67,340.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,860 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 16,835 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned about 0.10% of Quaker Houghton worth $2,315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 165.0% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 284.8% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 87.1% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.46% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KWR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $175.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $151.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $166.00.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KWR opened at $146.39 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 522.84, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.42. Quaker Houghton has a one year low of $103.36 and a one year high of $183.01. The company's fifty day moving average is $132.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.45.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by ($0.03). Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 0.22% and a return on equity of 9.03%. The company had revenue of $480.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $463.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.58 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a $0.508 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Quaker Houghton's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 725.00%.

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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