Janus Henderson Group PLC Buys 3,354 Shares of Quaker Houghton $KWR

Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 199,349 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 3,354 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 1.15% of Quaker Houghton worth $24,766,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of KWR. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 756,988 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $103,942,000 after acquiring an additional 95,100 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 19.2% in the 4th 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 period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 5.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 750,789 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $93,271,000 after purchasing an additional 38,261 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Quaker Houghton by 9.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 596,618 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $66,785,000 after buying an additional 50,264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 469,981 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $64,533,000 after buying an additional 118,321 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $983,655.96. This represents a 9.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Quaker Houghton Trading Up 4.8%

Shares of NYSE KWR opened at $168.15 on Tuesday. Quaker Houghton has a 1-year low of $112.18 and a 1-year high of $183.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 1.70. The business’s 50 day moving average is $150.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.97, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.40.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.53. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 9.55%. The firm had revenue of $532.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $504.63 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.71 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 EPS for the current year.

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

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is currently 36.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on KWR shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price target (up from $172.00) on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Four equities research 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate 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.