Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on KWR. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on 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 raised Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Quaker Houghton in a report on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $172.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $177.00 price target on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.67.

Quaker Houghton Stock Up 4.8%

Quaker Houghton stock opened at $168.15 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.97, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $150.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 1.70. Quaker Houghton has a fifty-two week low of $112.18 and a fifty-two week high of $183.01.

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

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. This is a positive change from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.19%.

Quaker Houghton announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to purchase up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Quaker Houghton news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total transaction of $106,557.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $983,655.96. This represents a 9.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 165.0% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Quaker Houghton by 556.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp grew its stake in Quaker Houghton by 123.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.