Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Releases Earnings Results

Key Points

• EPS miss: Quaker Houghton reported $1.63 EPS, missing estimates by $0.03, while revenue beat at $480.48M (vs. $463.70M), up 8.5% year‑over‑year and with a slight negative net margin (-0.13%).
• Stock reaction and outlook: Shares rose $5.67 to $141.56 on heavy volume; the company has a $2.45B market cap and a consensus "Hold" rating with an average price target of $163 amid mixed analyst revisions.
• Dividend and ownership: Quaker Houghton paid a quarterly dividend of $0.508 ($2.03 annualized, ~1.4% yield) and institutional investors own about 77.5% of the stock.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by ($0.03), FiscalAI reports. Quaker Houghton had a positive return on equity of 8.99% and a negative net margin of 0.13%.The firm had revenue of $480.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $463.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.58 EPS. Quaker Houghton's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

Shares of Quaker Houghton stock traded up $5.67 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $141.56. 405,506 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 168,404. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.72. The firm has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,179.55, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.43. Quaker Houghton has a 52 week low of $99.18 and a 52 week high of $183.01. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.75.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 16th were given a dividend of $0.508 per share. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 16th. Quaker Houghton's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,691.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Quaker Houghton by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 68,059 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $9,345,000 after purchasing an additional 3,505 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in Quaker Houghton by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 3,314 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $455,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Quaker Houghton by 12,361.9% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,617 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 2,596 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Quaker Houghton by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 756,988 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $103,942,000 after purchasing an additional 95,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC bought a new position in Quaker Houghton in the 4th quarter valued at $2,222,000. Institutional investors own 77.46% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KWR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Quaker Houghton from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Seaport Research Partners upgraded 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded Quaker Houghton from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Quaker Houghton from $184.00 to $151.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quaker Houghton has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $163.00.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.