Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.03 EPS

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) released its earnings results on Thursday. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by ($0.03), FiscalAI reports. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 0.22% and a return on equity of 9.06%. The company had revenue of $480.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $463.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.58 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

NYSE KWR traded up $5.67 on Friday, hitting $141.56. The stock had a trading volume of 405,506 shares, compared to its average volume of 167,544. Quaker Houghton has a 52-week low of $99.18 and a 52-week high of $183.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.42. The company has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,179.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $132.60 and a 200-day moving average of $140.75.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 16th were paid a $0.508 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 16th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,691.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KWR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton from $184.00 to $151.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $163.00.

Institutional Trading of Quaker Houghton

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KWR. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in Quaker Houghton by 556.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. 77.46% of the stock is currently 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.