Quaker Houghton $KWR Shares Bought by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 134.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 13,052 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,493 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC owned 0.08% of Quaker Houghton worth $1,792,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 284.8% in 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 period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 165.0% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 87.1% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KWR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Seaport Research Partners raised 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. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Quaker Houghton from $151.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target 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 upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.00.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

KWR opened at $141.28 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 504.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.72. Quaker Houghton has a 1-year low of $105.50 and a 1-year high of $183.01. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $135.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.22.

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

Quaker Houghton declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program 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 buy up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

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

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.