Squarepoint Ops LLC Buys 2,108 Shares of NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU)

Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU - Free Report) by 126.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,769 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,108 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC's holdings in NewMarket were worth $1,991,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in NewMarket by 34.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,813 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,656,000 after purchasing an additional 1,235 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new stake in NewMarket in the 4th quarter worth $252,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in NewMarket by 61.3% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,490 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $787,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in NewMarket by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,042 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $550,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in NewMarket by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 357 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $189,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.09% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity

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

NewMarket Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NEU traded up $8.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $644.29. 51,559 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 36,679. The company's 50-day moving average is $594.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $551.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.75 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.36 and a beta of 0.41. NewMarket Co. has a 1 year low of $480.00 and a 1 year high of $653.71.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $13.26 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $2.75 per share. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. NewMarket's dividend payout ratio is 21.89%.

NewMarket Company 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.