Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Quaker Houghton shares crossed above their 200-day moving average, reaching $162.41 versus the $148.36 average, with the latest trade at approximately $161.05.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: the stock has an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $187, with recent targets ranging from $185 to $198.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $2.19, well above the $1.66 estimate, while revenue rose 10.2% year over year to $532.55 million; it also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $148.36 and traded as high as $162.41. Quaker Houghton shares last traded at $161.0470, with a volume of 192,109 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on KWR shares. Weiss Ratings raised Quaker Houghton from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price (up from $172.00) on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Quaker Houghton from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $187.00.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

The stock's fifty day moving average price is $162.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $532.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $504.63 million. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 9.55%. The company's revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.71 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.85 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from Quaker Houghton's previous quarterly dividend of $0.5080. Quaker Houghton's payout ratio is currently 36.19%.

Insider Activity at Quaker Houghton

In other news, Director William Osborne sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.31, for a total transaction of $100,986.00. Following the sale, the director owned 616 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $103,678.96. This trade represents a 49.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. American Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton during the 2nd quarter worth $4,334,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Quaker Houghton by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 406,329 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $55,793,000 after acquiring an additional 120,772 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton in the second quarter valued at $706,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the second quarter worth about $1,087,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 35.9% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 69,636 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $8,651,000 after purchasing an additional 18,405 shares during the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Quaker Houghton

Quaker Houghton NYSE: KWR is a global provider of industrial process fluids and services. The company develops, manufactures and supplies chemical formulations used to improve performance, efficiency, safety and product quality in manufacturing and metalworking operations.

Its product portfolio includes metal-removal and metal-forming fluids, hydraulic and specialty fluids, industrial cleaners, coatings, corrosion preventives and fire-resistant fluids. Quaker Houghton also provides fluid-management programs, technical support, equipment and related services designed to help customers manage industrial processes and maintenance requirements.

The company serves customers in industries including steel, aluminum, automotive, aerospace, mining, machinery and other general manufacturing markets.

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