Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Director William Osborne Sells 600 Shares

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Director William Osborne sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.31, for a total transaction of $100,986.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 616 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,678.96. The trade was a 49.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Quaker Houghton Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of KWR stock opened at $167.68 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Quaker Houghton has a 12 month low of $112.18 and a 12 month high of $183.01. The stock has a market cap of $2.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $151.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.04.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.53. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 9.55%. The business had revenue of $532.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $504.63 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.71 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on KWR. Zacks Research raised Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective (up from $172.00) on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $187.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KWR. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 284.8% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Quaker Houghton by 165.0% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Quaker Houghton by 556.9% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp increased its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 123.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

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.