O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Reduces Position in NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC decreased its position in NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,521 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 413 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in NewMarket were worth $1,860,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of NewMarket by 5.0% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 6,186 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,414,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in NewMarket by 51.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 675 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $372,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of NewMarket by 115.7% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,415 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $781,000 after acquiring an additional 759 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of NewMarket by 8.7% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 3,951 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,181,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of NewMarket by 7.7% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 5,390 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,997,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

NewMarket Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NEU stock opened at $544.42 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. NewMarket Co. has a twelve month low of $480.00 and a twelve month high of $624.91. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $538.89 and a 200 day moving average of $533.23. The stock has a market cap of $5.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.29 and a beta of 0.41.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $11.56 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $2.75 dividend. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This is a positive change from NewMarket’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.50. NewMarket’s payout ratio is currently 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.