Brokerages Set Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Target Price at $193.50

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the five analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $179.50.

KWR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

Shares of KWR opened at $122.13 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $95.91 and a fifty-two week high of $183.01. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $144.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.51. The company has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,017.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.43.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $468.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $465.17 million. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.13% and a positive return on equity of 8.99%. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 16th will be given a $0.508 dividend. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 16th. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is -1,691.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,226 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,782 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised 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 worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 8,105 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,113,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.