Insider Selling: Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Director Sells $100,986.00 in Stock

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Director William Osborne sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.31, for a total value of $100,986.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 616 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,678.96. This trade represents a 49.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

KWR opened at $170.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.93 billion, a PE ratio of 30.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $152.25 and a 200-day moving average of $146.21. Quaker Houghton has a 52-week low of $112.18 and a 52-week high of $183.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.46.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.53. Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.55% and a net margin of 4.94%.The business had revenue of $532.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $504.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.71 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan 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 reacquire up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is 37.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Quaker Houghton

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KWR. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Quaker Houghton during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% in 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 period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 165.0% in 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 period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in Quaker Houghton by 556.9% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 123.3% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 355 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on KWR. Zacks Research raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price (up from $172.00) on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.67.

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.