Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 5,914 Shares of Quaker Houghton $KWR

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) by 6.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 83,259 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 5,914 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.48% of Quaker Houghton worth $10,343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KWR. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 114.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 23,139 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,860,000 after acquiring an additional 12,341 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its position in Quaker Houghton by 7.1% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,650 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $204,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Quaker Houghton by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,211 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,015,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Quaker Houghton by 29.2% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 95,751 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $11,836,000 after purchasing an additional 21,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 44.4% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 9,873 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,220,000 after purchasing an additional 3,034 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

Quaker Houghton stock opened at $151.06 on Friday. Quaker Houghton has a 12-month low of $111.42 and a 12-month high of $183.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $148.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.47. The stock has a market cap of $2.62 billion, a PE ratio of 539.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.40.

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

Quaker Houghton announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to buyback $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to reacquire up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Quaker Houghton Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is presently 725.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on KWR shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Quaker Houghton from $203.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company 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 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $177.00 price objective on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on Quaker Houghton in a report on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $172.00 price objective for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Quaker Houghton presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.67.

Quaker Houghton Company 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.