Insider Selling: Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) EVP Sells $106,557.87 in Stock

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total value 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 this hyperlink.

Quaker Houghton Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:KWR opened at $143.53 on Friday. 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 PE ratio of 512.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a 50 day moving average of $133.99 and a 200-day moving average of $142.05. Quaker Houghton has a 12-month low of $103.36 and a 12-month high of $183.01.

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

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 is presently 725.00%.

Quaker Houghton announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, May 13th that allows the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on KWR. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Quaker Houghton from $151.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Quaker Houghton presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC bought a new position in Quaker Houghton in the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,035,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 1,897.7% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 321,637 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $42,376,000 after acquiring an additional 305,537 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 87,777 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $11,565,000 after acquiring an additional 8,271 shares in the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 278,576 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $38,251,000 after acquiring an additional 24,573 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in Quaker Houghton by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 633,886 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $83,514,000 after buying an additional 19,788 shares during 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.