Swiss National Bank Buys 1,900 Shares of NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU)

Swiss National Bank raised its position in shares of NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU - Free Report) by 13.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,900 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.17% of NewMarket worth $8,454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in NewMarket by 19.1% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 924 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $510,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of NewMarket by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 17,254 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $9,522,000 after purchasing an additional 2,807 shares during the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its position in NewMarket by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 4,147 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,289,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in NewMarket by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,803 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $995,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in NewMarket by 10.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 78,746 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $43,459,000 after buying an additional 7,719 shares in the last quarter. 61.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

NewMarket Price Performance

NEU traded up $1.27 on Tuesday, reaching $547.66. The stock had a trading volume of 54,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,455. The company has a current ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.36 and a beta of 0.41. NewMarket Co. has a fifty-two week low of $480.00 and a fifty-two week high of $638.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $529.02 and a 200-day moving average of $533.06.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $11.56 earnings per share (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 will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $2.75 per share. This represents a $11.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This is a positive change from NewMarket's previous quarterly dividend of $2.50. NewMarket's payout ratio is 22.82%.

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.