Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Quaker Houghton has earned a consensus "Hold" rating from six brokerages (1 sell, 2 hold, 3 buy) with an average 1‑year target price of $175.67.
• In its most recent quarter the company reported EPS of $1.65, missing the $1.71 consensus, while revenue of $468.48M slightly beat estimates and analysts forecast about 7.75 EPS for the current year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.508 (annualized $2.03, yield 1.6%, ex‑dividend April 16) and institutional investors now own roughly 77.46% of the stock after several funds increased their stakes.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $175.6667.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KWR. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Zacks Research raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $203.00 target price on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Thursday, February 26th.

Institutional Trading of Quaker Houghton

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KWR. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 756,988 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $103,942,000 after acquiring an additional 95,100 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP grew its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 755,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $103,771,000 after purchasing an additional 121,854 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 712,528 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $97,839,000 after purchasing an additional 36,790 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 9.2% in the 2nd 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 boosted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 33.6% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 469,981 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $64,533,000 after buying an additional 118,321 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.46% of the company's stock.

Quaker Houghton Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:KWR opened at $129.69 on Wednesday. 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 $95.91 and a 1 year high of $183.01. The company has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,080.62, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.34. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $155.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.37.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $468.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $465.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.33 earnings per share. Quaker Houghton's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 16th will be paid a $0.508 dividend. 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 (DPR) is -1,691.67%.

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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