Cullen Capital Management LLC Invests $628,000 in Quaker Houghton $KWR

Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 3,955 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $628,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake 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 valued at $2,315,000 after purchasing an additional 16,835 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $55,793,000 after buying an additional 120,772 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 755,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $103,771,000 after buying an additional 121,854 shares during the last quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 4th quarter valued at $21,132,000. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 33.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 118,321 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quaker Houghton Trading Up 1.9%

Quaker Houghton stock opened at $165.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.84 billion, a PE ratio of 29.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.40. Quaker Houghton has a 12 month low of $112.18 and a 12 month high of $183.01. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $158.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $147.04. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Quaker Houghton declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program 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 reacquire up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management 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. Shareholders 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 1.3%. This is an increase from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is currently 36.19%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William H. Osborne sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.31, for a total transaction of $100,986.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 616 shares in the company, valued at $103,678.96. This trade represents a 49.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Quaker Houghton presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $187.00.

Quaker Houghton Profile

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.