Big acquisition should send Quaker higher

Article Excerpt

QUAKER CHEMICAL CORP. $206 (New York symbol KWR; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares o/s: 13.3 million; Market cap: $2.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.2; Dividend yield: 0.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.quakerchem.com) started up in 1918 and currently operates 35 plants in 21 countries. Those facilities make lubricants and chemicals that keep mechanical parts from rusting. Quaker’s products help its clients cut their costs and improve efficiency. Overall revenue rose 5.0%, from $729.4 million in 2013 to $765.9 million in 2014. It then fell 3.6%, to $737.6 million in 2015. That’s because the higher U.S. dollar hurt the contribution of Quaker’s overseas operations (the company gets about 60% of its revenue from outside the U.S.). Revenue then rebounded 1.2% to $746.7 million in 2016. Acquisitions spurred 2017 revenue, rising 9.8% to $820.1 million. Erratic earnings record Quaker’s earnings rose 0.3%, from $56.3 million in 2013 to $56.5 million in 2014. Per-share profits fell 0.2%, from $4.28 to $4.27, on more shares outstanding. Earnings then fell…