Stock fact sheet · data as of
Quaker Houghton (KWR): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol KWR · Basic Materials · Chemicals - Specialty · United States · Blend
Is KWR undervalued?
Quaker Houghton (KWR) closed at 157.30 on 5 Nov 2026, 29% above the GLS average fair value of 121.69. Only 2 of the 9 models that produced a number value the shares above the current price. The margin of safety is negative, so the stock fails the "below fair value" Wheel Trade Filter; a premium of this size is common for companies whose growth the models are conservative about.
The 9 models disagree widely: DDM gives 30.22 while GLS Growth gives 289.13. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, neither cheapness nor growth clearly wins for KWR, so the nightly engine files it under Blend (value score 31, growth score 50, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for KWR
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 85.90 | -45% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 102.24 | -35% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 237.68 | +51% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 97.52 | -38% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 289.13 | +84% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 104.19 | -34% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 85.52 | -46% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 30.22 | -81% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 62.79 | -60% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -29.10 | -118% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 186.33 | +18% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Financial health is average - KWR passes 6 of the nine Piotroski tests, which passes the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. The Financials tab on the Quote page shows which tests fail. The GLS Moat score is low at 4.6 out of 10: returns on capital, margins or the balance sheet have not shown a lasting edge yet - often a young company, a thin-margin business or one that has only recently turned profitable.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC -0.1%, ROE -0.2%, ROA -0.1% - with debt at 0.68 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 1.5%.
The dividend yield is 1.31% with a payout ratio of 36% - a small yield that leaves most of the earnings in the business. Revenue comes mainly from Metalworking and Other 66%, Metals 34% (quarter Q3 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 3/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 6 / 9 | ROIC | -0.1% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 4.6 / 10 | ROE | -0.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.68 | ROA | -0.1% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 1.5% | Payout ratio | 36% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 3 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 31: Weak
KWR scores 31 out of 100 on the Wheel Score, in the Weak band (under 50): it fails filter 1, options that actually trade - options too quiet (277 open interest, 113 a day); and filter 3, below fair value - trades 29% above our fair value; and filter 5, can repay its debt - 6.3 years to repay its debt (over 3), and the parts are thin too - value weak, premium good, moat fair, health good, red flags strong, option trading weak, stability fair. The score is not a judgement on the company; it says the price, quality and premium do not line up for selling puts on it today.
Implied volatility is 32% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out: enough to pass the 25-80% Wheel Trade Filter, but under the 35-60% sweet spot the score rewards most. Chain open interest is thin - 277 contracts across every expiry - so fills at a fair price are not guaranteed; a 30-45-day put may not exist at a usable strike.
Volume runs at 164k shares a day on a market cap of $2.7B, with a beta of 1.41 - a high beta, so the stock tends to move more than the market and a strike can be gapped through; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Fails | options too quiet (277 open interest, 113 a day) |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 29% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Fails | 6.3 years to repay its debt (over 3) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 29% above fair value | |
| Premium | Good | implied volatility 32% | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 4.6/10 | |
| Health | Good | Piotroski 6/9 | |
| Red Flags | Strong | Red Flags score 90/100 | |
| Option trading | Weak | 113 contracts a day, 277 open interest | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 1.41, $2.7B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for KWR in the nightly calendar.
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Chemicals - Specialty
The 12 companies below are the closest to Quaker Houghton by market cap within the Chemicals - Specialty industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUL H.B. Fuller Company | 52.57 | 57.21 | +8% | 39Weak | $2.8B |
| NGVT Ingevity Corporation | 73.73 | 36.84 | -100% | 34Weak | $2.5B |
| WDFC WD-40 Company | 233.00 | 118.64 | -96% | 34Weak | $3.1B |
| HWKN Hawkins, Inc. | 155.97 | 95.74 | -63% | 32Weak | $3.2B |
| ASH Ashland Inc. | 76.44 | 22.83 | -235% | 36Weak | $3.5B |
| CC The Chemours Company | 13.79 | 18.07 | +24% | 43Weak | $2.1B |
| MTX Minerals Technologies Inc. | 65.83 | 52.01 | -27% | 28Weak | $2.0B |
| IOSP Innospec Inc. | 80.65 | 102.86 | +22% | 47Weak | $2.0B |
| SINC Sincerity Applied Materials Holdings Corp. | 1.00 | 0.3023 | -231% | 12No options | $2.0B |
| CLMT Calumet Inc. | 43.60 | 11.21 | -289% | 29Weak | $3.8B |
| CBT Cabot Corp. | 75.10 | 77.10 | +3% | 70Good | $3.9B |
| AVNT Avient Corporation | 47.86 | 34.80 | -38% | 38Weak | $4.4B |
Scan the whole market the same way
A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the top 10 stocks that pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about KWR
Is KWR undervalued right now?
No: at 157.30 the stock trades 29% above the GLS average fair value of 121.69 (data as of 5 Nov 2026). The margin of safety is negative.
What is the Wheel Score of KWR and what does it mean?
KWR scores 31 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 1, 3, 5. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for KWR?
121.69 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Quaker Houghton report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for KWR in our calendar as of 5 Nov 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does KWR have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 132 listed contracts with 277 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 32% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.