Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Receives $152.33 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $152.3333.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on KWR. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Quaker Houghton from $149.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th.

Quaker Houghton Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of KWR opened at $144.92 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -295.76, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.33. Quaker Houghton has a twelve month low of $95.91 and a twelve month high of $148.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.59.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.14. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.48% and a positive return on equity of 8.64%. The company had revenue of $493.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $475.06 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. Quaker Houghton’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a dividend of $0.508 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -414.29%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KWR. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 3rd quarter worth $66,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 11,528 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,518,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 199.1% in the 3rd quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 21,131 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,784,000 after purchasing an additional 14,066 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 18.2% during the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 2,419 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 3,639.8% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 79,696 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $10,500,000 after purchasing an additional 77,565 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.