Strong cash conversion — free cash flow at roughly 10 times net income and a perfect Piotroski F-Score of 9/9 — and healthy price momentum mask extreme risk conditions: a put-to-call ratio of 8.00, 16% short interest, and a stock price $42 above the options market's max pain level of $105; with only 0.3% upside to the analyst consensus target and a recent pattern of earnings underdelivery, the risk profile has breached the minimum acceptable threshold and warrants an exit.
Thesis pillars
- Extreme Risk Options Short Positioning↓Deteriorating
- Target Reached No Upside Headroom→Stable
- Earnings Delivery Deteriorating→Stable
- +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning
Quaker Houghton (KWR) Stock Analysis
Sector Rotation edge
Basic Materials · Specialty Chemicals
Wait for pullback to $153.09. At $158.02 the A.R:R is 1.2:1 — below the 1.5:1 minimum for BUY_NOW. Engine's entry $153.09 (Atr Pullback Sticky) is the shallowest technical level that clears the 2:1 A.R:R minimum. Key risks: Concentration risk — Geographic: non-U.S. subsidiaries; Thin upside margin: 6.3%.
Quaker Houghton formulates specialty industrial process fluids — metal removal, rolling lubricants, hydraulic fluids, and surface solutions — sold to steel, aluminum, automotive, and aerospace manufacturers in over 25 countries across three segments. Non-US subsidiaries... Read more
Wait for pullback to $153.09. At $158.02 the A.R:R is 1.2:1 — below the 1.5:1 minimum for BUY_NOW. Engine's entry $153.09 (Atr Pullback Sticky) is the shallowest technical level that clears the 2:1 A.R:R minimum. Key risks: Concentration risk — Geographic: non-U.S. subsidiaries; Thin upside margin: 6.3%. Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Maintain position. Not compelling to add more. | News modifier +1 (HOLD_IF_HOLDING → STRONG_BUY_WAIT) Score 6.2/10, moderate confidence.
Passes 5/8 gates (positive momentum, clean insider activity, news events none recent, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on favorable risk/reward ratio. Suitability: aggressive.
Recent developments
updated 2026-10-16Recent Developments — Quaker Houghton
Latest news
- NEWS KWR Looks 9.8% Undervalued on GF Value™ as Dividend Rises - GuruFocus — GuruFocus positive
- NEWS Quaker Houghton Announces a 4.3% Increase in Cash Dividend - TradingView — TradingView positive
- NEWS Quaker Houghton Announces a 4.3% Increase in Cash Dividend - tradingview.com — tradingview.com positive
- NEWS Quaker Houghton Announces a 4.3% Increase in Cash Dividend - PR Newswire — PR Newswire positive
- NEWS Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Element Solutions, H.B. Fuller Company, Quaker Chemical and Minerals Technologies - Tr — TradingView neutral
Generated 2026-10-16T11:32:27Z.
Upcoming dated catalysts
Thesis
Key Metrics
Quality Signals
Options Flow
Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)
- HIGHGeographicnon-U.S. subsidiaries10-K Item 1A: 'sales by our non-U.S. subsidiaries accounted for approximately 63% to 67% of our consolidated net sales'
- LOWProductmetal removal fluids19%10-K Item 1: 'Metal removal fluids ... 19.0'
- LOWProductrolling lubricants18%10-K Item 1: 'Rolling lubricants ... 18.3'
- LOWProducthydraulic fluids12%10-K Item 1: 'Hydraulic fluids ... 12.2'
- LOWProductsurface solutions11%10-K Item 1: 'Surface solutions ... 10.9'
Material Events(8-K, last 90d)
- 2026-03-12Item 5.02MEDIUMSVP/Chief Global Operations Officer Jeffrey Fleck departed March 9, 2026 via involuntary termination without cause. No successor named. No disagreement with the Company cited.SEC filing →
- 2026-05-15Item 5.02LOWBoard Chairman Michael F. Barry retired May 13, 2026 after serving since 2008. Mark A. Douglas appointed new Chairman. Board reduced from 11 to 10 directors. Lead Director role eliminated. No disagreement cited.SEC filing →
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
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Rating Breakdown
10 dimensions · all in-band
Price Targets
Position Sizing
Risk Alerts
Earnings
Verdict History
Frequently Asked Questions
Wait for pullback to $153.09. At $158.02 the A.R:R is 1.2:1 — below the 1.5:1 minimum for BUY_NOW. Engine's entry $153.09 (Atr Pullback Sticky) is the shallowest technical level that clears the 2:1 A.R:R minimum. Key risks: Concentration risk — Geographic: non-U.S. subsidiaries; Thin upside margin: 6.3%. Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Maintain position. Not compelling to add more. | News modifier +1 (HOLD_IF_HOLDING → STRONG_BUY_WAIT) Target $168.03 (+6.3%), stop $147.04 (−7.5%), A.R:R 1.2:1. Score 6.2/10, moderate confidence.
Take-profit target: $168.03 (+6.3% upside). Target $168.03 (+6.3%), stop $147.04 (−7.5%), A.R:R 1.2:1. Stop-loss: $147.04.
Concentration risk — Geographic: non-U.S. subsidiaries; Thin upside margin: 6.3%; V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=5.4).
Quaker Houghton trades at a P/E of 28.3 (forward 16.6). TrendMatrix value score: 7.2/10. Verdict: Buy (Wait for Entry).
11 analysts cover KWR with a consensus score of 4.1/5. Average price target: $193.
What does Quaker Houghton do?Quaker Houghton formulates specialty industrial process fluids — metal removal, rolling lubricants, hydraulic fluids,...
Quaker Houghton formulates specialty industrial process fluids — metal removal, rolling lubricants, hydraulic fluids, and surface solutions — sold to steel, aluminum, automotive, and aerospace manufacturers in over 25 countries across three segments. Non-US subsidiaries generated 63% to 67% of consolidated net sales over the past three years, employing approximately 4,700 people globally.