First National Bank of Omaha Acquires New Position in Quaker Houghton $KWR

First National Bank of Omaha acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,058 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $486,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KWR. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Quaker Houghton in the second quarter valued at about $335,290,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 756,988 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $103,942,000 after acquiring an additional 95,100 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 755,740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $103,771,000 after acquiring an additional 121,854 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Quaker Houghton by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 750,789 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $93,271,000 after acquiring an additional 38,261 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in Quaker Houghton by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 596,618 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $66,785,000 after purchasing an additional 50,264 shares in the last quarter. 77.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Quaker Houghton Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of Quaker Houghton stock opened at $167.11 on Thursday. Quaker Houghton has a 1 year low of $112.18 and a 1 year high of $183.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 1.70. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $156.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $146.96. The company has a market capitalization of $2.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.40.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $532.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $504.63 million. Quaker Houghton had a return on equity of 9.55% and a net margin of 4.94%.Quaker Houghton’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Quaker Houghton will post 7.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase from Quaker Houghton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. Quaker Houghton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.19%.

Quaker Houghton declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 13th that permits the company to repurchase $250.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to reacquire up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price (up from $172.00) on shares of Quaker Houghton in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research raised Quaker Houghton from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Quaker Houghton from $177.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $187.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William H. Osborne sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.31, for a total value of $100,986.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $103,678.96. The trade was a 49.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.77, for a total transaction of $106,557.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $983,655.96. This trade represents a 9.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.