Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Acquires 3,550 Shares of NewMarket Corporation $NEU

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in NewMarket by 28.3% in Q4, buying an additional 3,550 shares to hold 16,087 shares (0.17% of the company) worth $11.06 million.
• Multiple large funds also raised positions—most notably AQR Capital Management (up 196.7%, +91,458 shares)—leaving institutional ownership at about 61.09% of the stock.
• Weiss Ratings downgraded NewMarket from Buy to Hold; the company reported $8.65 EPS for the quarter, has a $6.15 billion market cap and pays a $3.00 quarterly dividend (annualized $12.00, ~1.8% yield).

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of NewMarket Corporation (NYSE:NEU - Free Report) by 28.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,087 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,550 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned 0.17% of NewMarket worth $11,056,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. LSV Asset Management grew its stake in NewMarket by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 268,432 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $222,318,000 after purchasing an additional 6,284 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of NewMarket by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 179,702 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $148,820,000 after purchasing an additional 2,049 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of NewMarket by 196.7% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 137,943 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $114,246,000 after purchasing an additional 91,458 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of NewMarket by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 128,933 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $106,784,000 after buying an additional 15,179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec boosted its holdings in shares of NewMarket by 376.4% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 99,256 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $82,205,000 after buying an additional 78,422 shares during the last quarter. 61.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of NewMarket from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold".

NewMarket Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NEU opened at $653.79 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.53, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $632.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $703.28. NewMarket Corporation has a 1-year low of $554.11 and a 1-year high of $875.97. The firm has a market cap of $6.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.72 and a beta of 0.48.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported $8.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. NewMarket had a return on equity of 25.38% and a net margin of 15.37%.The firm had revenue of $635.40 million for the quarter.

NewMarket Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $3.00 dividend. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. NewMarket's payout ratio is currently 27.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NewMarket news, Director Ting Xu bought 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $619.21 per share, for a total transaction of $247,684.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 929 shares of the company's stock, valued at $575,246.09. This trade represents a 75.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

NewMarket Profile

NewMarket Corporation is a specialty chemicals and lubricants company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Through its Valvoline business, the company markets a broad portfolio of automotive aftermarket products, including engine oils, transmission fluids, greases and vehicle care solutions. Valvoline products are distributed through retail and commercial channels as well as a network of quick-lube service centers that provide oil changes, preventive maintenance and related services.

In its chemical additives segment, NewMarket develops, manufactures and sells performance additives for fuels, lubricants and industrial fluids.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NEU? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for NewMarket Corporation (NYSE:NEU - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.