UBS Group AG Sells 2,598 Shares of NewMarket Corporation $NEU

UBS Group AG lessened its holdings in NewMarket Corporation (NYSE:NEU) by 18.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,749 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 2,598 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.12% of NewMarket worth $8,075,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in NewMarket by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 828,798 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $569,600,000 after purchasing an additional 15,813 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management increased its position in NewMarket by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 268,432 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $222,318,000 after purchasing an additional 6,284 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in NewMarket by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 179,702 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $148,820,000 after purchasing an additional 2,049 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in NewMarket by 196.7% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 137,943 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $114,246,000 after purchasing an additional 91,458 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in NewMarket by 13.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 15,179 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of NewMarket from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, NewMarket presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Insider Activity at NewMarket

In related news, Director Ting Xu acquired 400 shares of NewMarket stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was bought 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 in the company, valued at $575,246.09. This represents a 75.61% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

NewMarket Stock Performance

NYSE:NEU opened at $700.26 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.44 billion, a PE ratio of 16.00 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $647.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $684.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 2.55. NewMarket Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $580.03 and a fifty-two week high of $875.97.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $12.62 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $669.72 million during the quarter. NewMarket had a net margin of 15.25% and a return on equity of 24.12%.

NewMarket Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $3.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. NewMarket’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.41%.

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.