Brokerages Set Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) PT at $166.00

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the five research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $166.00.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on KWR. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Quaker Houghton from $151.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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. Wall Street Zen cut Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

Shares of KWR opened at $143.53 on Monday. Quaker Houghton has a 12-month low of $103.36 and a 12-month high of $183.01. The business’s fifty day moving average is $133.99 and its 200 day moving average is $142.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 512.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.42.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by ($0.03). Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 0.22%.The firm had revenue of $480.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $463.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.58 earnings per share. Quaker Houghton’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan 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 repurchase up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.508 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 725.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Quaker Houghton news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total transaction of $106,557.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $983,655.96. This trade represents a 9.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KWR. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Quaker Houghton by 114.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 23,139 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,860,000 after acquiring an additional 12,341 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in Quaker Houghton by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Quaker Houghton by 4.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Quaker Houghton by 29.2% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 44.4% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 9,873 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,220,000 after purchasing an additional 3,034 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by 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.