Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Stock Price

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada cut its price target on Quaker Houghton from $184 to $151 but maintained an Outperform rating, implying roughly a 9.2% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst coverage is mixed—three Buy and two Sell—resulting in an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $163.
• Quaker Houghton missed Q4 EPS estimates ($1.65 vs. $1.71) despite revenue growing 5.5% year-over-year; the stock trades near $138 with a 12‑month range of $99.18–$183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by investment analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $184.00 to $151.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the specialty chemicals company's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price target would indicate a potential upside of 9.16% from the company's current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $175.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price 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. Zacks Research lowered shares of Quaker Houghton from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quaker Houghton from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Quaker Houghton currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $163.00.

Quaker Houghton Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:KWR traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $138.33. 10,948 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 164,010. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,154.45, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.43. The business's fifty day moving average price is $136.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $140.44. 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 has a twelve month low of $99.18 and a twelve month high of $183.01.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the third quarter valued at $46,331,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Quaker Houghton by 1,897.7% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 321,637 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $42,376,000 after purchasing an additional 305,537 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Quaker Houghton by 79.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 661,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $87,204,000 after purchasing an additional 293,977 shares in the last quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter valued at $21,132,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter valued at $17,982,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.46% of the company's stock.

About Quaker Houghton

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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