Quaker Houghton $KWR Stock Position Increased by Dean Capital Management

Dean Capital Management lifted its stake in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 163.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,349 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,446 shares during the quarter. Quaker Houghton accounts for about 1.6% of Dean Capital Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Dean Capital Management owned 0.18% of Quaker Houghton worth $4,130,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KWR. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 0.7% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 199,224 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,386 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,051 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,719,000 after buying an additional 1,735 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,526 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 283 shares during the period. American Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 3rd quarter worth $2,072,000. Finally, Fiduciary Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the third quarter worth $216,000. Institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KWR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Zacks Research raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $203.00 price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Quaker Houghton has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $175.67.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

NYSE:KWR opened at $118.56 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.42. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of -987.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.34. Quaker Houghton has a 52-week low of $95.91 and a 52-week high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $468.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $465.17 million. Quaker Houghton had a positive return on equity of 8.99% and a negative net margin of 0.13%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. Analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.508 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 16th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is currently -1,691.67%.

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.