NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU) Shares Sold by Treasurer of the State of North Carolina

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lessened its holdings in shares of NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU - Free Report) by 17.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,952 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 1,263 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina owned 0.06% of NewMarket worth $3,145,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NEU. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in NewMarket by 166.7% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 48 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in NewMarket in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in NewMarket in the fourth quarter worth approximately $56,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in NewMarket by 55.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 118 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in NewMarket in the fourth quarter valued at $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.09% of the company's stock.

NewMarket Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NEU stock traded up $2.90 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $562.43. The company had a trading volume of 2,708 shares, compared to its average volume of 46,270. NewMarket Co. has a fifty-two week low of $480.00 and a fifty-two week high of $596.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.75 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company's fifty day moving average is $549.25 and its 200 day moving average is $533.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.34 billion, a PE ratio of 11.67 and a beta of 0.44.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $11.56 EPS for the quarter. NewMarket had a return on equity of 35.48% and a net margin of 16.59%.

NewMarket Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $2.75 per share. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This is a boost from NewMarket's previous quarterly dividend of $2.50. NewMarket's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded NewMarket from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th.

NewMarket Profile

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.