Kennedy Capital Management LLC Purchases 6,777 Shares of Quaker Houghton $KWR

Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its position in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 116,887 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,777 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $16,050,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 284.8% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 165.0% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 87.1% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Quaker Houghton

In related news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,748 shares in the company, valued at $983,655.96. The trade was a 9.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Quaker Houghton in a research report on Monday, June 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $172.00 target price on the stock. 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. Weiss Ratings raised Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quaker Houghton has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.00.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

KWR opened at $144.14 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $137.91 and a 200 day moving average of $142.70. Quaker Houghton has a 52-week low of $111.32 and a 52-week high of $183.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market cap of $2.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 514.80, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.43.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 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 previous year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. Quaker Houghton’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to repurchase $250.00 million in 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 generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

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

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.