Franklin Resources Inc. Increases Stake in NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU)

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU - Free Report) by 35.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,839 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,263 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.05% of NewMarket worth $2,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NEU. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in NewMarket by 19.4% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 17,254 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $9,522,000 after acquiring an additional 2,807 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of NewMarket in the 2nd quarter worth about $486,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of NewMarket by 40.0% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,119 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,655,000 after purchasing an additional 1,463 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in NewMarket in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,251,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in NewMarket by 8.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 159,467 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $82,214,000 after purchasing an additional 12,110 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 61.09% of the company's stock.

NewMarket Stock Performance

NEU traded up $1.22 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $530.64. The stock had a trading volume of 34,917 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,479. The stock has a market cap of $5.09 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 0.50. NewMarket Co. has a 1 year low of $494.04 and a 1 year high of $650.00. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $537.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $540.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $13.79 EPS for the quarter. NewMarket had a return on equity of 35.79% and a net margin of 15.57%. The company had revenue of $724.95 million during the quarter.

NewMarket Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $2.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $10.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. NewMarket's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.21%.

About NewMarket

NewMarket Corporation, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the manufacture and sale of petroleum additives. The company offers lubricant additives for use in various vehicle and industrial applications, including engine oils, transmission fluids, off-road powertrain and hydraulic systems, gear oils, hydraulic oils, turbine oils, and other applications where metal-to-metal moving parts are utilized; engine oil additives designed for passenger cars, motorcycles, on and off-road heavy duty commercial equipment, locomotives, and engines in ocean-going vessels; driveline additives designed for products, such as transmission fluids, axle fluids, and off-road powertrain fluids; and industrial additives designed for products for industrial applications consisting of hydraulic fluids, grease, industrial gear fluids, and industrial specialty applications, such as turbine oils.