WCM Investment Management LLC Sells 44,621 Shares of Quaker Houghton $KWR

WCM Investment Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 36.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,526 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 44,621 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $9,775,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KWR. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Quaker Houghton by 67,340.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 16,860 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,315,000 after acquiring an additional 16,835 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 278,576 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $38,251,000 after purchasing an additional 24,573 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 42.3% during the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 406,329 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $55,793,000 after purchasing an additional 120,772 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP boosted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 755,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $103,771,000 after purchasing an additional 121,854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. bought a new position in Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter valued at $21,132,000. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Quaker Houghton Stock Down 1.7%

Quaker Houghton stock opened at $148.11 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $147.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.16. 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 $2.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 529.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.40. Quaker Houghton has a twelve month low of $111.42 and a twelve month high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $480.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $463.70 million. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 0.22% and a return on equity of 9.03%. Quaker Houghton’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.58 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, May 13th that allows the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Quaker Houghton

In other Quaker Houghton news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total value of $106,557.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $983,655.96. This represents a 9.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on KWR shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. 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. Zacks Research raised Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Truist Financial initiated coverage on Quaker Houghton in a report on Monday, June 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $172.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.67.

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.