Kennedy Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Quaker Houghton $KWR

Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 116,887 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,777 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned about 0.67% of Quaker Houghton worth $16,050,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,226 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $140,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,782 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 8,105 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,113,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quaker Houghton Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of KWR opened at $144.14 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $137.91 and its 200 day moving average is $142.70. The company has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a PE ratio of 514.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.43. Quaker Houghton has a 12-month low of $111.32 and a 12-month high of $183.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.66 by ($0.03). Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 0.22% and a return on equity of 9.03%. The business had revenue of $480.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $463.70 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.58 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.508 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Quaker Houghton’s payout ratio is presently 725.00%.

Insider Transactions at Quaker Houghton

In other Quaker Houghton news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of Quaker Houghton stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total value of $106,557.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $983,655.96. The trade was a 9.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Quaker Houghton in a research report on Monday, June 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $172.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Quaker Houghton from $151.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Seaport Research Partners raised Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.00.

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.