Wall Street Zen Upgrades Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) to Buy

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research raised Quaker Houghton from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Quaker Houghton from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Quaker Houghton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $177.00 target price on shares of Quaker Houghton in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Truist Financial initiated coverage on Quaker Houghton in a report on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $172.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.67.

Quaker Houghton Price Performance

Shares of Quaker Houghton stock opened at $160.00 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.40. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $149.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.69. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Quaker Houghton has a 1-year low of $111.42 and a 1-year high of $183.01.

Quaker Houghton (NYSE:KWR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.53. The company had revenue of $532.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $504.63 million. Quaker Houghton had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 9.55%. Quaker Houghton’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.71 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Quaker Houghton will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Quaker Houghton announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, May 13th that allows the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Quaker Houghton

In related news, EVP Jeewat Bijlani sold 731 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 is available at this link. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Quaker Houghton

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Quaker Houghton in the 2nd quarter valued at $307,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 25.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 224,030 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $27,831,000 after purchasing an additional 45,339 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in shares of Quaker Houghton by 1.7% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 199,349 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $24,766,000 after purchasing an additional 3,354 shares during the period. Amundi increased its holdings in Quaker Houghton by 50.0% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,650 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Quaker Houghton by 51.5% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 344 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.46% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Quaker Houghton

Here are the key news stories impacting Quaker Houghton this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. Non-GAAP EPS was $2.19, versus the $1.66–$1.68 analyst consensus, while revenue reached $532.6 million, up 10% year over year and above the roughly $505 million estimate. Quaker Chemical Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Operating momentum improved. Sales volumes rose 7%, driven primarily by new business wins across all segments. Adjusted EBITDA increased 13% to $85.2 million, and management expects mid- to high-single-digit adjusted EBITDA growth in 2026 while targeting EBITDA margins above 18%. Quaker Houghton Anticipates EBITDA Growth in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns were strengthened. Quaker Houghton raised its quarterly dividend 4.3% to $0.53 per share, repurchased $24.2 million of stock during the quarter and authorized a new $250 million repurchase program. Quaker Houghton Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management described demand entering the third quarter as stable and expects end markets to be flat to slightly positive for the rest of 2026. Regional sales rose across the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific, but the company carried $876.1 million of gross debt against $155.1 million of cash.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a potential risk after the rally, while reported net income was only $26.8 million and a company executive recently sold 731 shares. These factors could limit further upside if growth or margins disappoint.

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.