NewMarket (NEU) Q3 2026 Earnings Call: Net Income Rises as Specialty Materials Grow

Key Takeaways

• NewMarket Corporation reported Q3 2026 net income of $124 million, or $13.50 per share, versus $100 million, or $10.67 per share, in Q3 2025. Higher operating profit and a lower effective tax rate drove the increase.
• Petroleum additives sales were $651 million, compared with $649 million a year earlier. Operating profit remained essentially flat at $131 million despite an 8% decline in shipments.
• Management said surcharges offset higher costs caused by Middle East supply chain disruptions.
• Specialty materials sales increased to $62 million from $38 million, while operating profit rose to $16 million from $6 million. The improvement reflected shipment mix and the inclusion of Calca Solutions, acquired on October 1, 2025.
• During the first nine months of 2026, NewMarket funded $88 million of capital expenditures, paid $83 million in dividends and repurchased more than 200,000 shares for approximately $126 million.
• Net debt to EBITDA improved to 1.0x as of September 30, 2026.

Key Financial Data

Business and Operating Performance

Petroleum additives shipments declined 8% in Q3 and 6% during the first nine months of 2026. Management attributed the nine-month decline to its strategic reduction of low-margin business in the first half and softer current market demand.

The company maintained petroleum additives profitability through surcharges, operational efficiency, cost control and margin management. It also continued investing in technology and its global manufacturing and supply network.

Specialty materials delivered stronger sales and operating profit, supported by a shift in shipment mix and the addition of Calca Solutions. Management cautioned that quarterly results in this segment will continue to vary because of the nature of the business.

Management Outlook

Management expects capacity expansion projects for ammonium perchlorate and high-purity hydrazine to be completed by the end of 2026. The company said the projects should strengthen its ability to serve critical aerospace and defense applications.

For the remainder of 2026, NewMarket plans to keep its surcharges and earlier operational measures in place while adjusting its approach as market conditions evolve.

Risks and Watchpoints

Management highlighted continued geopolitical uncertainty, conflict in the Middle East, supply chain disruptions, changing trade relationships, tariffs and softer lubricant additive demand. These factors could affect costs, shipments and operating conditions.

Full Earnings Call Transcript

Complete Earnings Call Transcript

Management Remarks

Operator

Greetings and welcome to the NewMarket Corporation Scheduled Conference Call and Webcast to review the third quarter 2026 financial results. [Operator Instructions] And please note, this conference call is being recorded.

I will now turn the call over to NewMarket Corporation management for...

[Audio Gap]

Timothy Fitzgerald

Thank you and thanks to everyone for joining me this afternoon. As a reminder, some of the statements made during this conference call may be forward-looking. Relevant factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements are contained in our earnings release and in our SEC filings, including our most recent Form 10-K. During this call, we will also discuss the non-GAAP financial measures included in our earnings release. The earnings release, which can be found on our website, includes a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures. We filed our 10-Q for the third quarter of 2026 today and it contains significantly more details on the operations and performance of our company.

Today, I will be referring to the data that was included in yesterday's press release. Net income for the third quarter of 2026 was $124 million or $13.50 per share compared to net income of $100 million or $10.67 per share for the third quarter of 2025. Net income for the first 9 months of 2026 was $376 million or $40.64 per share compared to net income of $337 million or $35.78 per share for the same period in 2025. Higher operating profit and a reduced effective tax rate were the primary drivers behind the increase in net income for both the third quarter and the first 9 months of 2026.

Petroleum additives sales for the third quarter of 2026 were $651 million compared to $649 million for the same period in 2025. Petroleum additives operating profit for the third quarter of 2026 was $131 million, essentially flat compared to the third quarter of 2025. Despite the broader market softness in lubricant additives that resulted in an 8% decline in shipments, we successfully implemented surcharges to offset higher costs incurred due to the supply chain disruptions in the Middle East. Petroleum additives sales were $1.9 billion for both the first 9 months of 2026 and 2025. Petroleum additives operating profit for the first 9 months of 2026 was $415 million compared to $413 million in 2025.

Shipments were down 6% for the first 9 months compared to the prior year period, reflecting both the first half impact of our strategic decision to reduce low-margin business and the current market softness. We are pleased with the performance of our petroleum additives business during the first 9 months of 2026. Our teams continue to manage through a dynamic operating environment characterized by geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, changing trade relations and tariffs and softer lubricant additive demand. We remain focused on operational efficiency, cost control, margin management and continued investment in technology and our global manufacturing and supply network.

Specialty materials sales for the third quarter of 2026 were $62 million compared to $38 million for the same period in 2025. Specialty materials operating profit for the third quarter of 2026 was $16 million compared to $6 million for the third quarter of 2025. The increase in both sales and operating profit compared to the third quarter of 2025 reflects a shift in shipment mix as well as the inclusion of the Calca Solutions business acquired on October 1, 2025. As we have noted before, quarterly results for the Specialty Materials segment will continue to vary due to the nature of the business. For the first 9 months of 2026, specialty materials sales were $187 million compared to $134 million for the same period in 2025.

Specialty materials operating profit increased to $51 million compared to $40 million in the prior year period. We continue to be pleased with the performance of our Specialty Materials segment and remain excited about the capacity expansion projects underway for both ammonium perchlorate and high-purity hydrazine. We expect these projects to be completed by the end of 2026 and further strengthen our ability to support critical aerospace and defense applications. Our operations generated solid cash flow during the first 9 months of 2026, allowing us to invest in growth while continuing to return capital to our shareholders. During the period, we funded $88 million of capital expenditures, paid $83 million in dividends and repurchased more than 200,000 shares for approximately $126 million. Our net debt-to-EBITDA ratio improved to 1x at September 30, 2026.

As we look ahead to the remainder of 2026, we continue to monitor the impact of the conflict in the Middle East, the broader macroeconomic environment and ongoing developments in international trade relations and tariffs. The surcharges and operational actions implemented earlier this year remain in place and we will continue adjusting our approach as market conditions evolve. While the operating environment remains dynamic, we believe these actions position us well to continue delivering solid results. Our dedicated team continues to make decisions that promote long-term value for our shareholders and customers while remaining focused on our long-term objectives. We believe the fundamentals of how we run our business, including a long-term perspective, a safety-first culture, customer-focused solutions, technology-driven products and world-class supply chain capabilities, will continue to benefit all our stakeholders.

That concludes our planned comments. We are available for questions via e-mail or by phone. So, please feel free to contact me directly. Thank you all again and we will talk to you next quarter.

Operator

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's conference and you may disconnect your lines at this time. And we thank you for your participation.