William Osborne Sells 600 Shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Stock

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

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

NYSE:KWR opened at $170.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.40. Quaker Houghton has a twelve month low of $112.18 and a twelve month high of $183.01. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $152.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $146.21. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.53. The company had revenue of $532.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $504.63 million. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 9.55%. Quaker Houghton’s revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.71 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $250.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to purchase up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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 (DPR) is currently 36.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KWR shares. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quaker Houghton presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton in the second quarter worth approximately $335,290,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 2nd quarter valued at $202,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,429,000. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 2nd quarter worth $205,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton during the 2nd quarter worth $66,000. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.