Quaker Chemical Co. (NYSE:KWR) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Quaker Chemical Co. (NYSE:KWR – Get Rating) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the five research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $225.00.

Several equities analysts recently commented on KWR shares. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Quaker Chemical from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 18th. TheStreet cut shares of Quaker Chemical from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 2nd. Zacks Investment Research lowered Quaker Chemical from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 1st. StockNews.com began coverage on Quaker Chemical in a research report on Thursday, March 31st. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Quaker Chemical from $305.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 1st.

Shares of NYSE:KWR traded down $1.47 on Monday, reaching $154.98. 521 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 63,039. The company’s 50 day moving average is $179.96 and its 200-day moving average is $213.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a PE ratio of 23.11 and a beta of 1.46. Quaker Chemical has a fifty-two week low of $156.36 and a fifty-two week high of $276.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.52.

Quaker Chemical (NYSE:KWR – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.33). Quaker Chemical had a return on equity of 8.98% and a net margin of 6.89%. The firm had revenue of $447.04 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Quaker Chemical will post 7.16 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.415 per share. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 13th. Quaker Chemical’s dividend payout ratio is 24.52%.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Quaker Chemical by 714.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 114 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. New Century Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Quaker Chemical in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Chemical in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Dixon Hughes Goodman Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Quaker Chemical during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Quaker Chemical during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. 78.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Quaker Chemical (Get Rating)

Quaker Chemical Corporation develops, produces, and markets various formulated chemical specialty products for a range of heavy industrial and manufacturing applications. The company operates through four segments: Americas; Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Asia/Pacific; and Global Specialty Businesses.

Further Reading