Quaker Houghton $KWR Position Trimmed by Quantinno Capital Management LP

Quantinno Capital Management LP decreased its holdings in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 37.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,128 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 5,396 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $1,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Quaker Houghton by 165.0% in the 4th 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 period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 556.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp lifted its position in Quaker Houghton by 123.3% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total value of $106,557.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $983,655.96. This trade represents a 9.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director William H. Osborne sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.31, for a total value of $100,986.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 616 shares in the company, valued at $103,678.96. The trade was a 49.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KWR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research raised Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price (up from $172.00) on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $187.67.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

Shares of KWR opened at $170.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s fifty day moving average is $155.13 and its 200-day moving average is $146.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.46 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.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $532.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $504.63 million. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 9.55%. Quaker Houghton’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.71 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to reacquire up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is presently 36.19%.

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.