Nomura Holdings Inc. Makes New $538,000 Investment in NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU)

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,019 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $538,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NEU. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of NewMarket by 166.7% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 48 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of NewMarket in the 4th quarter valued at about $56,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of NewMarket in the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings 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 valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of NewMarket in the 4th quarter valued at about $74,000. 61.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at NewMarket

In related news, CAO Bruce R. Hazelgrove III sold 311 shares of NewMarket stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $642.43, for a total value of $199,795.73. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 358 shares in the company, valued at $229,989.94. This trade represents a 46.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 19.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of NewMarket from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th.

NewMarket Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NEU traded down $7.39 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $639.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 36,771 shares, compared to its average volume of 36,607. The firm has a market cap of $6.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 0.41. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $586.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $549.31. NewMarket Co. has a 1-year low of $480.00 and a 1-year high of $653.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.75.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $13.26 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $700.95 million for the quarter. NewMarket had a net margin of 16.59% and a return on equity of 35.48%.

NewMarket Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $2.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. NewMarket's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.89%.

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.