Quaker Houghton $KWR Shares Sold by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP trimmed its position in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 9.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 679,621 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 68,520 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $107,971,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 12,341 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 7.1% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $204,000 after buying 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 first 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. boosted its stake in Quaker Houghton by 29.2% during 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 buying an additional 21,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $1,220,000 after buying an additional 3,034 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Quaker Houghton Trading Down 2.6%

Quaker Houghton stock opened at $161.48 on Wednesday. Quaker Houghton has a 52 week low of $112.18 and a 52 week 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 firm has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $159.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $146.73.

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. The company had revenue of $532.55 million for 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 company’s revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.71 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.85 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. This is a positive change from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is presently 36.19%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KWR has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Quaker Houghton presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $187.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William H. Osborne sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.31, for a total value of $100,986.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $103,678.96. This represents a 49.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% 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.