Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on KWR. Wall Street Zen cut Quaker Houghton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 12th. 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 report 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 note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Quaker Houghton from $190.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $179.50.

Quaker Houghton Stock Performance

NYSE:KWR opened at $138.50 on Wednesday. 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 market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a PE ratio of -1,154.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.43. Quaker Houghton has a fifty-two week low of $99.18 and a fifty-two week high of $183.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $136.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.44.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.06). Quaker Houghton had a negative net margin of 0.13% and a positive return on equity of 8.99%. The company had revenue of $468.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $465.17 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Quaker Houghton will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Quaker Houghton in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Quaker Houghton during the third quarter worth $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 284.8% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 165.0% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 273 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 87.1% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Quaker Houghton

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.