Newmarket Corp (NYSE: NEU)

Sector: Basic Materials Industry: Specialty Chemicals CIK: 0001282637
Market Cap 10.71 Bn
P/B 22.37
P/E 61.54
P/S 6.15
ROIC (Qtr) 16.48
Div Yield % 0.63
Rev 1y % (Qtr) -4.78
Total Debt (Qtr) 861.94 Mn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.51

About

NewMarket Corporation (NEU) is a holding company that operates in the specialty chemicals industry, with its primary subsidiaries being Afton Chemical Corporation, Ethyl Corporation, NewMarket Services Corporation, and NewMarket Development Corporation. The company specializes in the development, manufacture, and marketing of highly formulated lubricant and fuel additive packages, which are sold worldwide. NewMarket's main business activities are centered around the petroleum additives market, which is the largest segment of the company and generates...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Strong operating cash flow of 609.04M provides robust 0.71x coverage of total debt 861.94M, indicating excellent debt servicing capability and financial flexibility.
  • Healthy cash reserves of 102.45M provide 6.06x coverage of short-term debt 16.91M, demonstrating strong liquidity position and minimal refinancing risk.
  • Operating cash flow of 609.04M provides exceptional 14.69x coverage of interest expenses 41.45M, showing strong debt service capability.
  • Strong tangible asset base of 2.50B provides 2.90x coverage of total debt 861.94M, indicating robust asset backing and low credit risk.
  • Strong operating cash flow of 609.04M provides 3.49x coverage of SG&A expenses 174.43M, showing efficient operational cost management.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 609.04M barely covers its investment activities of (64.26M), with a coverage ratio of -9.48, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • With cash reserves of 102.45M against inventory of 512.17M, the 0.20 cash-to-inventory ratio suggests potential liquidity risks if inventory turnover slows, particularly concerning given current supply chain volatilities.
  • Operating cash flow of 609.04M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (101.68M) with a -5.99 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Investment activities of (64.26M) provide weak support for R&D spending of 133.42M, which is -0.48x, suggesting potentially insufficient investment in innovation relative to other capital deployment.
  • Free cash flow of 544.78M represents just -1.80x of debt issuance (303M), suggesting concerning reliance on leverage rather than internal cash generation for growth.

Geographical Breakdown of Revenue (2024)

Segments Breakdown of Revenue (2024)

Peer comparison

Companies in the Specialty Chemicals
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 LIN Linde Plc 218.63 Bn 38.41 6.61 25.93 Bn
2 SHW Sherwin Williams Co 110.34 Bn 170.54 11.54 13.58 Bn
3 ECL Ecolab Inc. 80.35 Bn 80.18 5.93 8.67 Bn
4 APD Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. 56.37 Bn 48.29 5.86 18.31 Bn
5 PPG Ppg Industries Inc 34.00 Bn 31.05 2.58 7.91 Bn
6 LYB LyondellBasell Industries N.V. 17.46 Bn 5.03 0.49 13.22 Bn
7 DD DuPont de Nemours, Inc. 16.63 Bn 3.65 0.32 8.90 Bn
8 ALB Albemarle Corp 14.44 Bn 48.94 6.36 3.63 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 3.37 1.52
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 79.92 12.52
EV to Debt EV to Debt 12.65 13.65
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 40.49 21.45
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 34.33 14.82
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 122.44 29.24
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 1.02 3.84
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 6.26 89.11
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 22.37 5.48
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 61.54 16.02
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 4.41 -5.31
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 22.70 -75.74
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 10.75 1.25
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 18.54 23.50
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 15.03 -8.92
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) -14.34 -1.67
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 27.57 72.99
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 10.26 -3.00
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 1.46 -31.21
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 3.77 51.49
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 2.60 0.57
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 4.90 -80.35
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 5.08 -90.82
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 21.13 -50.40
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 2.16 219.02
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.85 0.70
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.15 0.41
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 0.25 1.28
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 2.68 3.42
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.51 0.92
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 15.03 -8.92
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 15.03 -8.92
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 27.20 -333.97
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 22.70 -374.34
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 21.19 -379.75
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 31.90 29.26
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 16.30 -380.67