Newmarket (NYSE: NEU) reported Q3 EPS of $8.77.

• Net Income of $95.8 Million and Earnings Per Share of $8.77 for the Third Quarter
• Strong Market Recovery in Petroleum Additives
• Third Quarter Net Income Includes $16.5 Million for Sale of Non-Operating Real Estate

NewMarket Corporation (NYSE: NEU) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Thomas E. Gottwald, released the following earnings report of the Company’s operations for the third quarter and first nine months of 2020.

Net income for the third quarter of 2020 was $95.8 million, or $8.77 per share, compared to net income of $67.8 million, or $6.06 per share, for the third quarter of 2019. Third quarter net income includes a gain of $16.5 million related to the sale of a non-operating parcel of real estate. For the first nine months of 2020, net income was $203.7 million, or $18.52 per share, compared to net income of $204.2 million or $18.26 per share, for the first nine months of last year.

Petroleum additives operating profit for the third quarter of 2020 was $102.2 million, compared to $94.8 million for the same period last year. The increase was due to lower raw material costs, selling, general, and administrative costs, and research and development costs, partially offset by changes in selling prices, higher conversion costs, and lower shipments. Petroleum additives operating profit for the first nine months of the year was $248.9 million compared to $285.6 million for the first nine months of 2019. The decrease was due to lower shipments, higher conversion costs, and changes in selling prices, partially offset by lower raw material costs, selling, general, and administrative costs, and research and development costs.

Sales for the petroleum additives segment for the third quarter of 2020 were $510.3 million, down from $550.6 million in the third quarter of 2019. The decrease was due mainly to lower shipments and selling prices. Shipments decreased 3.2% between periods, mainly driven by decreases in fuel additives shipments. Petroleum additives sales for the first nine months of the year were $1.5 billion compared to sales in the first nine months of last year of $1.6 billion. The decrease was due mainly to lower shipments and selling prices. Shipments decreased 7.5% between periods, with decreases in both lubricant additives and fuel additives shipments.

Our third quarter 2020 operating results reflected continued improvement in some of the key drivers that affect the performance of our business, consistent with what we began to see near the end of the second quarter. With gasoline consumption and miles driven continuing to show improvement and industrial production beginning to rebound, specifically related to automobile plants reopening and producing vehicles, demand for both our lubricant and fuel additives has increased steadily throughout the quarter. While our second quarter results were significantly impacted by the economic disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the related government restrictions, these improvements in the third quarter of 2020 helped to drive an increase in shipments compared to the second quarter of over 25%. The pace and stability of improvement will depend heavily on economic recovery and the rate at which government restrictions are lifted and remain lifted.

During the first nine months of 2020, we funded capital expenditures of $60.1 million, paid dividends of $62.7 million, and repurchased 270,963 shares of our common stock for a total of $101.4 million.

Throughout the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the chemical industry and our products have been recognized as essential for the transportation of goods and services. Our operating facilities have continued to function safely during 2020. We have procedures in place at each of our facilities to help ensure the well-being of our employees, as we see our responsibility to protect their health and safety as a top priority. Because of the commitment and dedication of our employees and our ability to remain operational throughout 2020, we have been able to work closely with our customers to ensure their supply demands are met throughout this unusual period.

As we navigate the current economic downturn, our business decisions will continue to be focused on the long-term success of our company, including emphasis on satisfying customer needs, generating solid operating results, and promoting the greatest long-term value for our shareholders, customers and employees. Those decisions include investing in capital improvements and research and development in support of our customers, using cash prudently to provide shareholder value, including dividends and repurchases of common stock, and ensuring we are well-positioned to stay the course with a strong balance sheet, conservative fiscal policies, and a dedicated team. We believe the fundamentals of how we run our business – a long-term view, safety and people first culture, customer-focused solutions, technology-driven product offerings, and a world-class supply chain capability – will continue to be beneficial for all our stakeholders.

Sincerely,

Thomas E. Gottwald

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Newmarket (NEU) click here.