Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

KWR has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.67.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

KWR opened at $155.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Quaker Houghton has a 12-month low of $95.91 and a 12-month high of $162.10. The business has a 50 day moving average of $142.26 and a 200-day moving average of $135.91. The stock has a market cap of $2.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -316.91, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.33.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new position in Quaker Houghton in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Quaker Houghton by 165.0% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 284.8% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 87.1% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. 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.