Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Given Buy Rating at Truist Financial

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by stock analysts at Truist Financial in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $190.00 target price on the specialty chemicals company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $172.00. Truist Financial’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 10.80% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on KWR. Weiss Ratings upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $177.00 price target on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Friday, July 17th. 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 research report on Friday, April 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.67.

Quaker Houghton Stock Up 6.8%

NYSE:KWR traded up $10.96 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $171.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 19,682 shares, compared to its average volume of 162,596. The company has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.40. Quaker Houghton has a 12 month low of $112.18 and a 12 month high of $183.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $149.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.69.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.53. Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.55% and a net margin of 4.94%.The business had revenue of $532.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $504.63 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, May 13th that allows the company to buyback $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to reacquire up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Quaker Houghton

In related news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total value of $106,557.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $983,655.96. This represents a 9.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Quaker Houghton by 114.3% in 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 buying an additional 12,341 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position 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 during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 4.4% in the 1st 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 buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 29.2% in 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 acquiring an additional 21,665 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC boosted 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 worth $1,220,000 after buying an additional 3,034 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is currently 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.