Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Shares Down 4.1% on Analyst Downgrade

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) shares dropped 4.1% on Monday after Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on the stock from $203.00 to $175.00. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Quaker Houghton traded as low as $114.45 and last traded at $115.5930. Approximately 28,710 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 160,009 shares. The stock had previously closed at $120.57.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on KWR. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $179.50.

Institutional Trading of Quaker Houghton

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KWR. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Quaker Houghton during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Quaker Houghton during the third quarter worth about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in 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. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 165.0% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $144.92 and its 200-day moving average is $140.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.72. The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a PE ratio of -1,003.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.43.

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

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

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

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.