Natixis Advisors LLC Acquires 4,059 Shares of NewMarket Corporation $NEU

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in NewMarket Corporation (NYSE:NEU) by 16.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 28,785 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,059 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in NewMarket were worth $23,840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in NewMarket by 2.4% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 268,432 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $222,318,000 after buying an additional 6,284 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of NewMarket by 1.2% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 179,702 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $148,820,000 after buying an additional 2,049 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of NewMarket by 20.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 156,613 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $108,212,000 after acquiring an additional 26,254 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of NewMarket by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 128,933 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $106,784,000 after acquiring an additional 15,179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in NewMarket during the 2nd quarter valued at about $51,515,000. 61.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NewMarket Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NEU opened at $622.18 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.01 and a beta of 0.50. NewMarket Corporation has a twelve month low of $510.07 and a twelve month high of $875.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $658.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $738.09.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported $8.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $635.40 million for the quarter. NewMarket had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 25.38%.

NewMarket Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $3.00 per share. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. NewMarket’s payout ratio is currently 27.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NewMarket news, Director Ting Xu purchased 400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $619.21 per share, with a total value of $247,684.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $575,246.09. This trade represents a 75.61% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 19.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded NewMarket from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

NewMarket Company Profile

NewMarket Corporation is a specialty chemicals and lubricants company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Through its Valvoline business, the company markets a broad portfolio of automotive aftermarket products, including engine oils, transmission fluids, greases and vehicle care solutions. Valvoline products are distributed through retail and commercial channels as well as a network of quick-lube service centers that provide oil changes, preventive maintenance and related services.

In its chemical additives segment, NewMarket develops, manufactures and sells performance additives for fuels, lubricants and industrial fluids.