NewMarket (NYSE:NEU) Lowered to “Buy” Rating by StockNews.com

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

NewMarket Price Performance

Shares of NewMarket stock opened at $547.85 on Wednesday. NewMarket has a 1-year low of $480.00 and a 1-year high of $650.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $515.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $534.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.36 and a beta of 0.48.

NewMarket (NYSE:NEU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $11.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. NewMarket had a net margin of 16.59% and a return on equity of 35.48%.

Institutional Trading of NewMarket

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NEU. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in NewMarket by 19.4% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 17,254 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $9,522,000 after acquiring an additional 2,807 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of NewMarket by 34.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,813 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,656,000 after acquiring an additional 1,235 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in shares of NewMarket in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $252,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of NewMarket by 40.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,119 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,655,000 after acquiring an additional 1,463 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in NewMarket by 61.3% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,490 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $787,000 after buying an additional 566 shares during the last quarter. 61.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.