Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

KWR has been the subject of several other reports. Wall Street Zen cut Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Quaker Houghton currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.00.

Quaker Houghton Stock Up 1.9%

NYSE KWR opened at $141.05 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $135.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.72. Quaker Houghton has a fifty-two week low of $99.18 and a fifty-two week high of $183.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.44 billion, a PE ratio of -1,175.28, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.43.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $468.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $465.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.508 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 16th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is presently -1,691.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the third quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Quaker Houghton by 87.1% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

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.