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Quaker HoughtonKWR +1.07%80 Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.43 as of Jun. 2026, which is 7% above its 10-year median of 3.20. GuruFocus rates KWR with a GF Score™ of 80/100 and a GF Value™ of $162.38 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,241 Chemicals companies, Quaker Houghton ranks worse than 66.24% on this metric.
Debt-to-EBITDA measures a company's ability to pay off its debt.
A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt. According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.
The historical rank and industry rank for Quaker Houghton's Debt-to-EBITDA or its related term are showing as below:
KWR'
s Debt-to-EBITDA Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.34 Med: 3.2 Max: 10.61
Current: 3.61
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio of Quaker Houghton was 10.61. The lowest was 0.34. And the median was 3.20.
KWR's Debt-to-EBITDA is ranked worse than 66.24% of 1241
companies
in the Chemicals industry
Industry Median: 2.15
vs KWR: 3.61
A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt.
According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.
Quaker Houghton Debt-to-EBITDA Related Terms
Quaker Houghton Debt-to-EBITDA Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Quaker Houghton's Debt-to-EBITDA can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Specialty Chemicals subindustry, Quaker Houghton's Debt-to-EBITDA, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-EBITDA data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Quaker Houghton Debt-to-EBITDA vs Chemicals Industry
For the Chemicals industry and Basic Materials sector, Quaker Houghton's Debt-to-EBITDA distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Quaker Houghton's Debt-to-EBITDA falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
In the calculation of annual Debt-to-EBITDA, the EBITDA of the last fiscal year is used. In calculating the annualized quarterly data,
the EBITDA data used here is four times the quarterly (Jun. 2026) EBITDA data.
Quaker Houghton (KWR) has a Debt-to-EBITDA of 3.43 as of Jun. 2026. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on Quaker Houghton. This is near median its historical median of 3.20. Over the past decade, Quaker Houghton's Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 0.34 to 10.61. According to the industry distribution chart, Quaker Houghton ranks #822 out of 1241 companies in the Chemicals industry, placing it in the top 66.2%.
Is Quaker Houghton's Debt-to-EBITDA too high?
Quaker Houghton's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 3.43 is near median its 10-year median of 3.20. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.34 to a high of 10.61. The Chemicals industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.15. Quaker Houghton's value of 3.43 is 59.5% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Quaker Houghton ranks #822 out of 1241 companies in the Chemicals industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Quaker Houghton has a GF Score™ of 80/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Quaker Houghton's Debt-to-EBITDA compare to CC and NGVT?
According to the Chemicals industry distribution chart, Quaker Houghton ranks #822 out of 1241 companies for Debt-to-EBITDA. This places Quaker Houghton in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.15. Quaker Houghton's value of 3.43 is 59.5% above this benchmark. Historically, Quaker Houghton's own Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 0.34 to 10.61 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 3.20 vs. the industry median of 2.15, Quaker Houghton has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-EBITDA for a Chemicals company?
The median Debt-to-EBITDA among Chemicals companies is 2.15, based on 1,241 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-EBITDA significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-EBITDA should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Quaker Houghton's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 3.43 is 59.5% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-EBITDA mean?
A high Debt-to-EBITDA can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on Quaker Houghton. For the Chemicals industry, the median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.15 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Quaker Houghton's current Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.43, which is near median its own 10-year median of 3.20. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Quaker Houghton stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Quaker Houghton (KWR) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $162.38, compared to a current price of $169.10 — trading 4.1% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.43, which is near median its 10-year median of 3.20 and 59.5% above the Chemicals industry median of 2.15. Quaker Houghton's overall GF Score™ is 80/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-EBITDA calculated?
Debt-to-EBITDA is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Quaker Houghton (KWR), the current Debt-to-EBITDA is 3.43 as of Jun. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Quaker Houghton (KWR) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Quaker Houghton stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $169.10 is trading 4.1% above its estimated GF Value™ of $162.38.
GuruFocus considers Quaker Houghton to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for KWR:
Debt-to-EBITDA: 3.43 (near median its 10-year median of 3.20)
GF Value™: $162.38 vs. price of $169.10 (4.1% above fair value)
Industry Position: 59.5% above the Chemicals median (#822 of 1241)
No single metric tells the full story. See the KWR stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Quaker Houghton manufactures and sells a variety of industrial process fluids. The company's product portfolio includes metal removal fluids, cleaning fluids, corrosion inhibitors, metal drawing and forming fluids, die-cast mold releases, heat treatment and quenchants, metal forging fluids, hydraulic fluids, specialty greases, offshore sub-sea energy control fluids, rolling lubricants, rod and wire drawing fluids, and surface treatment chemicals. The company's geographic segments include the Americas, EMEA, and Asia/Pacific. The majority of the company's revenue is earned from the Americas.
80GF Score
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