NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU - Free Report) by 23.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,707 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 5,287 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.18% of NewMarket worth $9,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in NewMarket by 35.0% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 1,239 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $639,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. purchased a new position in NewMarket during the second quarter worth about $928,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in NewMarket by 30.0% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,656 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,885,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in NewMarket in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in NewMarket by 40.9% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 14,447 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $7,448,000 after purchasing an additional 4,190 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.09% of the company's stock.

NewMarket Price Performance

Shares of NEU traded down $3.81 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $528.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 52,580 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,507. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. NewMarket Co. has a 1-year low of $494.04 and a 1-year high of $650.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.73 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $538.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $540.16.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $2.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $10.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. 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.