Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $1.04 Million in NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,900 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $1,037,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NEU. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. bought a new position in NewMarket in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of NewMarket in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. purchased a new stake in NewMarket during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. UMB Bank n.a. bought a new position in NewMarket in the third quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in shares of NewMarket by 153.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 309 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. 61.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NewMarket Stock Performance

NYSE NEU traded down $50.19 on Thursday, reaching $533.06. 97,257 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 43,794. The company has a current ratio of 2.85, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. NewMarket Co. has a one year low of $362.16 and a one year high of $650.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.11 billion, a PE ratio of 13.84 and a beta of 0.45. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $615.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $560.82.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $11.23 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $696.74 million for the quarter. NewMarket had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 41.33%.

NewMarket Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $2.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $10.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. This is a boost from NewMarket's previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. NewMarket's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut NewMarket from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, February 4th.

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.