Renaissance Technologies LLC Sells 1,682 Shares of NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU)

Renaissance Technologies LLC lessened its stake in NewMarket Co. (NYSE:NEU - Free Report) by 24.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,100 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 1,682 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.05% of NewMarket worth $2,695,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of NewMarket by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 12,532 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $6,621,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of NewMarket by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 908 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC increased its holdings in NewMarket by 38.1% in the fourth quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 544 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in NewMarket in the fourth quarter valued at about $484,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in NewMarket by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 7,075 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $3,738,000 after buying an additional 2,082 shares during the last quarter. 61.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NewMarket Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of NEU stock traded up $17.35 on Wednesday, hitting $616.16. The stock had a trading volume of 65,139 shares, compared to its average volume of 36,203. The company has a current ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. NewMarket Co. has a twelve month low of $480.00 and a twelve month high of $616.97. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $554.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $536.18. The firm has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 0.44.

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

NewMarket Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $2.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $11.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. NewMarket's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut NewMarket from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th.

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.