Jeewat Bijlani Sells 731 Shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Stock

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total value of $106,557.87. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

Shares of KWR opened at $143.53 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $133.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $142.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Quaker Houghton has a 12 month low of $103.36 and a 12 month high of $183.01. The company has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 512.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.42.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.66 by ($0.03). Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 0.22% and a return on equity of 9.03%. The business had revenue of $480.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $463.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.58 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

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

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

KWR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Quaker Houghton from $151.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Quaker Houghton has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton during the third quarter valued at $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.