XTX Topco Ltd Invests $462,000 in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR)

Key Points

• XTX Topco Ltd has invested approximately $462,000 in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by acquiring 3,736 shares in the first quarter.
• Quaker Houghton recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.508 per share, with a current annualized dividend yield of 1.6%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Quaker Houghton, with an average price target of $150.75 following upgrades from firms like Jefferies Financial Group.

XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,736 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $462,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 400.0% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 230 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 119.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 391 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 24.8% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 665 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KWR opened at $125.90 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.79. Quaker Houghton has a one year low of $95.91 and a one year high of $180.96. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -292.77, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.38.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $483.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $463.57 million. Quaker Houghton had a positive return on equity of 8.35% and a negative net margin of 0.39%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 17th will be given a $0.508 dividend. This is a boost from Quaker Houghton's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 17th. Quaker Houghton's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -451.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KWR shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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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