Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Price Target Lowered to $175.00 at Jefferies Financial Group

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) had its price objective lowered by Jefferies Financial Group from $203.00 to $175.00 in a report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock.

KWR has been the subject of several other reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $179.50.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

KWR stock opened at $120.40 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,003.25, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.43. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $144.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.62. Quaker Houghton has a one year low of $95.91 and a one year high of $183.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.42.

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

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 16th will be issued a $0.508 dividend. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 16th. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is -1,691.67%.

Institutional Trading of Quaker Houghton

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in KWR. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,331,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 1,897.7% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 321,637 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $42,376,000 after purchasing an additional 305,537 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 79.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 661,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $87,204,000 after purchasing an additional 293,977 shares during the period. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the 4th quarter valued at $21,132,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the 4th quarter valued at $17,982,000. 77.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Quaker Houghton

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.