Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 5,914 Shares of Quaker Houghton $KWR

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 6.6% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 83,259 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 5,914 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $10,343,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Quaker Houghton by 3,715.0% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,371 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $791,000 after buying an additional 6,204 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in Quaker Houghton by 30.1% in the 1st quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 2,042 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 472 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH increased its position in Quaker Houghton by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 2,084 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. MQS Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the first quarter valued at $246,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 22.3% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 4,199 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares during the period. 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $983,655.96. The trade was a 9.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KWR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings raised Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target 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. Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $177.00 price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.67.

Quaker Houghton Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of Quaker Houghton stock opened at $151.06 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a PE ratio of 539.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.40. Quaker Houghton has a 52 week low of $111.42 and a 52 week high of $183.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $148.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.45.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $480.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $463.70 million. Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 0.22%.Quaker Houghton’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.58 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to reacquire up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

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

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.