Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyWall Street Zen cut shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR – Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday morning.
A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on KWR. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. 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. Three research 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, Quaker Houghton has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $179.50.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on KWR
Quaker Houghton Stock Up 0.7%
Quaker Houghton stock opened at $128.27 on Friday. Quaker Houghton has a fifty-two week low of $98.25 and a fifty-two week high of $183.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.42. The company has a market capitalization of $2.22 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,068.83, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.32.
Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $468.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $465.17 million. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.13% and a positive return on equity of 8.99%. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.
Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.508 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 16th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,691.67%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quaker Houghton
Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KWR. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 1,897.7% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 321,637 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $42,376,000 after purchasing an additional 305,537 shares in the last quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton during the third quarter worth about $5,035,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 10.4% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 87,777 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $11,565,000 after purchasing an additional 8,271 shares in the last quarter. Dean Capital Management raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 163.4% during the third quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 31,349 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $4,130,000 after purchasing an additional 19,446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton during the third quarter worth about $46,331,000. 77.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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.