Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lessened its stake in NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,420 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 60 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in NewMarket were worth $750,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NewMarket during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in NewMarket in the 4th quarter valued at $56,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of NewMarket by 55.3% in the 4th 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 period. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NewMarket in the fourth quarter valued at about $74,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NewMarket by 481.5% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. 61.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

NewMarket Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE NEU opened at $565.76 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $536.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $533.17. The company has a market capitalization of $5.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.74 and a beta of 0.41. NewMarket Co. has a 12-month low of $480.00 and a 12-month high of $632.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.75 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

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

NewMarket Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $2.75 dividend. This is a boost from NewMarket’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.50. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. NewMarket’s payout ratio is 22.82%.

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.