Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Hits New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $154.08 and last traded at $153.57, with a volume of 140663 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.71.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KWR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Quaker Houghton from $149.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $152.33.

Quaker Houghton Trading Up 1.2%

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $138.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.07. The company has a market capitalization of $2.66 billion, a PE ratio of -313.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.47.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $493.84 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $475.06 million. Quaker Houghton had a positive return on equity of 8.64% and a negative net margin of 0.48%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.508 per share. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is currently -414.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KWR. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 284.8% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 87.1% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the third quarter valued at about $66,000. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quaker Houghton Company Profile

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.