Quaker Houghton $KWR Shares Sold by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 654,245 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 83,025 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Quaker Houghton were worth $86,197,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 2.3% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,529 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in Quaker Houghton by 15.5% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 53,581 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,059,000 after buying an additional 7,185 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in Quaker Houghton by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 7,442 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $980,000 after buying an additional 757 shares during the last quarter. Bryce Point Capital LLC purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton during the 3rd quarter worth $467,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 87.1% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KWR. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Zacks Research upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.67.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

Shares of KWR stock opened at $169.77 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $156.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.47. The stock has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a PE ratio of -346.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.35. Quaker Houghton has a 1 year low of $95.91 and a 1 year high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $468.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $465.17 million. Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.48% and a positive return on equity of 8.64%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.