Quaker Houghton $KWR Stock Holdings Trimmed by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services Co. trimmed its Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) stake by 3.5% in Q4, selling 8,331 shares to hold 232,761 shares worth about $31.96M (roughly 1.34% of the company), while other institutions like Dimensional, Wellington and State Street generally increased positions; institutional ownership stands near 77.46%.
• Research analysts show a consensus "Hold" rating with an average target of $179.50 after recent target cuts (RBC to $184, Jefferies to $175); the company posted a slight EPS miss while revenue rose 5.5%, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.508 (1.6% yield), ex-dividend April 16.

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its position in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 232,761 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 8,331 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned approximately 1.34% of Quaker Houghton worth $31,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 6.5% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 675,738 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $89,028,000 after purchasing an additional 41,530 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 79.9% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 661,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $87,204,000 after buying an additional 293,977 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 3.2% during the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 633,886 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $83,514,000 after buying an additional 19,788 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 9.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 596,618 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $66,785,000 after purchasing an additional 50,264 shares during the period. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the third quarter worth approximately $46,331,000. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KWR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Quaker Houghton from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $179.50.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

KWR opened at $129.74 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,081.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.72. Quaker Houghton has a 1-year low of $98.25 and a 1-year high of $183.01. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $140.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.24.

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

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

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

About Quaker Houghton

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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