Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Quaker Houghton has a “Moderate Buy” consensus from six analysts, with four buy ratings, one hold, and one sell. The average 1-year price target is $168.
• The company recently reported mixed quarterly results: earnings per share of $1.63 missed expectations, while revenue of $480.48 million came in above estimates and rose 8.5% year over year.
• Quaker Houghton’s board authorized a $250 million share buyback and the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.508 per share, payable July 31.

Shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $168.00.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Quaker Houghton from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $175.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st.

Insider Transactions at Quaker Houghton

In related news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total transaction of $106,557.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $983,655.96. This trade represents a 9.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position 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 valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position 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 valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 556.9% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

NYSE:KWR opened at $150.10 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $140.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 536.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.43. Quaker Houghton has a twelve month low of $111.32 and a twelve month high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.66 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $480.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $463.70 million. Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 0.22%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.58 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to purchase up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.508 per share. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Quaker Houghton's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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