Quaker Houghton $KWR Shares Sold by Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC cut its holdings in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 5.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 326,024 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 17,707 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned 1.88% of Quaker Houghton worth $40,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KWR. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 556.9% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Corp lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 123.3% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Quaker Houghton

In other Quaker Houghton news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total transaction of $106,557.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,748 shares in the company, valued at $983,655.96. This represents a 9.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

NYSE:KWR opened at $150.41 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $145.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.72. The firm has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 537.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.40. Quaker Houghton has a 1-year low of $111.42 and a 1-year high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by ($0.03). Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 0.22%.The firm had revenue of $480.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $463.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.58 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, May 13th that allows the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.508 per share. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is 725.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on KWR shares. Wall Street Zen cut Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $172.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.67.

Quaker Houghton 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.