Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on KWR. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $203.00 target price on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $179.50.

Quaker Houghton Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Quaker Houghton stock opened at $120.40 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $144.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.72. The company has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,003.25, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.43. Quaker Houghton has a 1-year low of $95.91 and a 1-year high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $468.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $465.17 million. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.13% and a positive return on equity of 8.99%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 16th will be given a dividend of $0.508 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 16th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,691.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KWR. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 165.0% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. 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.