Quaker Houghton (KWR)

In the past six months, Quaker Houghton held earnings conference calls for Q3, Q2, and Q1 2025, and announced Q4 and full-year 2024 results. The stock hit a new 52-week high in mid-January 2026, trading as high as $154.08. Royal Bank of Canada raised its price objective on Quaker Houghton to $171.00 and issued an "outperform" rating. Quaker Houghton announced a quarterly dividend and increased its quarterly cash dividend by approximately 5%. Several institutional investors and hedge funds adjusted their positions in KWR during the third quarter of 2025.

Demand for Quaker Houghton's products and services is largely influenced by the demand for its customers' products, making the company susceptible to uncertainties arising from downturns in customer businesses, unanticipated production slowdowns, and shutdowns. The company has also noted persistent market softness in 2025, which has impacted its performance. Quaker Houghton anticipates that new business wins and the integration of acquisitions will help mitigate the impact of lower end-market demand.

Quaker Houghton, founded in 1918 and headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, is a global leader in industrial process fluids, operating in the Materials sector within the Specialty Chemicals industry. The company develops, produces, and markets a broad range of formulated specialty chemical products and offers chemical management services for various heavy industrial and manufacturing applications, serving diverse industries such as steel, aluminum, automotive, aerospace, offshore, can manufacturing, mining, and general metalworking.

Quaker Houghton has a robust global presence, with operations in over 25 countries and 35 locations worldwide. Over 50% of its net sales are generated outside of the United States.

Quaker Houghton has maintained a positive brand reputation in the past year, being recognized on Newsweek's List of America's Most Responsible Companies for a third consecutive year in December 2025, highlighting the company's commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices.

Institutional investors hold a significant majority of Quaker Houghton's stock, ranging from 77.46% to nearly 85%. Major institutional owners include BlackRock, Inc. and Vanguard Group Inc. The Hinduja Group of India is also a significant shareholder through its Gulf Oil subsidiary. Insider ownership is comparatively low, at 1.10%.