NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU) Shares Sold by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC decreased its position in shares of NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU) by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in NewMarket were worth $3,867,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NEU. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in NewMarket by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 146,589 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $80,015,000 after purchasing an additional 1,958 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of NewMarket by 51.9% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 4,160 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,271,000 after buying an additional 1,421 shares during the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NewMarket in the 4th quarter worth about $821,000. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp grew its position in shares of NewMarket by 142.6% in the first quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 17,320 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $10,992,000 after purchasing an additional 10,182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in NewMarket during the fourth quarter worth $957,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded NewMarket from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th.

Insider Transactions at NewMarket

In other news, CAO Bruce R. Hazelgrove III sold 1,270 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.31, for a total value of $691,273.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $194,862.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

NewMarket Price Performance

NewMarket stock opened at $535.21 on Monday. NewMarket Co. has a 1 year low of $436.90 and a 1 year high of $650.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $545.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $565.63. The company has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 0.50.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $11.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $710.23 million during the quarter. NewMarket had a net margin of 15.12% and a return on equity of 37.06%.

NewMarket Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $2.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $10.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. NewMarket’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.06%.

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.