Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $162.42 and last traded at $162.04, with a volume of 44156 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.21.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on KWR. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Quaker Houghton has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.67.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $145.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of -327.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

Quaker Houghton Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th were given a dividend of $0.508 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio is currently -414.29%.

Institutional Trading of Quaker Houghton

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton in the third quarter worth about $46,331,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Quaker Houghton by 1,897.7% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 321,637 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $42,376,000 after purchasing an additional 305,537 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 79.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 661,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $87,204,000 after acquiring an additional 293,977 shares in the last quarter. Scopus Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Quaker Houghton during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,353,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Quaker Houghton by 3,639.8% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 79,696 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $10,500,000 after purchasing an additional 77,565 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.