American Capital Management Inc. Purchases 12,496 Shares of Quaker Houghton $KWR

American Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 47.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 38,642 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,496 shares during the quarter. American Capital Management Inc. owned 0.22% of Quaker Houghton worth $4,800,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 756,988 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $103,942,000 after purchasing an additional 95,100 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP boosted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 755,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $103,771,000 after acquiring an additional 121,854 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Quaker Houghton by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 750,789 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $93,271,000 after purchasing an additional 38,261 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 9.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 596,618 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $66,785,000 after buying an additional 50,264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 33.6% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 469,981 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $64,533,000 after buying an additional 118,321 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KWR opened at $151.12 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.45. The firm has a market cap of $2.62 billion, a PE ratio of 539.75, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.40. Quaker Houghton has a one year low of $111.42 and a one year high of $183.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $148.52 and a 200 day moving average of $145.54.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $480.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $463.70 million. Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 0.22%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.508 dividend. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is currently 725.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Quaker Houghton news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total value of $106,557.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $983,655.96. This represents a 9.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KWR has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $177.00 target price on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 12th. Seaport Research Partners raised Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price 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. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Four equities research 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.67.

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.