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

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Seaport Research Partners raised Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $179.50.

Quaker Houghton Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of KWR opened at $138.50 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,154.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.43. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $136.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.44. Quaker Houghton has a twelve month low of $99.18 and a twelve month high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $468.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $465.17 million. Quaker Houghton had a positive return on equity of 8.99% and a negative net margin of 0.13%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.33 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew 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 worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Quaker Houghton by 556.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 335 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.