Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts assign Quaker Houghton an average rating of "Hold" from five brokerages (2 sell, 3 buy) with a 12‑month average price target of $163.
• The company missed quarterly EPS ($1.65 vs. $1.71 expected) while revenue rose 5.5% year‑over‑year to $468.48M, and analysts project full‑year EPS of about 7.99.
• Quaker Houghton declared a quarterly dividend of $0.508 (annual $2.03, yield ~1.5%) despite a negative P/E (-1,113) and an extremely negative payout ratio, indicating earnings pressure.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $163.00.

KWR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $184.00 to $151.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, 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 report on Friday, April 17th.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KWR opened at $133.58 on Thursday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $133.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $140.79. Quaker Houghton has a 1 year low of $99.18 and a 1 year high of $183.01. The company has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a PE ratio of -1,113.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.42.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.06). Quaker Houghton had a positive return on equity of 8.99% and a negative net margin of 0.13%.The firm had revenue of $468.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $465.17 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.508 per share. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 16th. Quaker Houghton's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,691.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KWR. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 114.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 23,139 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,860,000 after purchasing an additional 12,341 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 7.1% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 4.4% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,211 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,015,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 29.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 95,751 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $11,836,000 after purchasing an additional 21,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 44.4% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 9,873 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,220,000 after purchasing an additional 3,034 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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