Little-known Quaker has special appeal

Article Excerpt

QUAKER CHEMICAL CORP. $83 (New York symbol KWR; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 13.3 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 1.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.quakerchem.com) began operating in 1918 and currently operates 34 plants in 21 countries. These facilities make lubricants and chemicals that keep mechanical parts from rusting. This small-cap stock is riskier than many of our other recommendations, but Quaker has a long history of increasing its earnings— and dividends. The company’s revenue rose 40.8%, from $544.1 million in 2010 to $765.9 million in 2014. That’s partly because it bought smaller firms that expanded its product lines and geographic reach. New businesses fitting in nicely Quaker spent $73.5 million on acquisitions in 2014, the largest of which was Illinois-based grease maker ECLI Products for $53.1 million. ECLI’s clients are in the automotive, aerospace and resource industries. Quaker also paid $19.1 million for Binol AB, a Swedish firm that makes industrial lubricants…