NewMarket (US:NEU) Benzinga·2026-02-17 15:00Core Insights - The company reported a pre-tax income of $113 million for Q4 2025, down from $134 million in Q4 2024, with a full-year pre-tax income of $561 million compared to $584 million in 2024, reflecting a decline of 4% [1] - Net income for Q4 2025 was $81 million or $8.65 per share, compared to $111 million or $11.56 per share in Q4 2024, with full-year net income at $419 million or $44.44 per share, down from $462 million or $48.22 per share in 2024 [1] - The increase in effective tax rate was a primary driver for the decline in net income, as detailed in the 10-K filing [1] Petroleum Additives Segment - Sales for petroleum additives in Q4 2025 were $585 million, down from $626 million in Q4 2024, with operating profit at $107 million compared to $136 million in the same period last year [1] - For the full year, petroleum additives sales were $2.5 billion, down from $2.6 billion in 2024, with operating profit decreasing to $520 million from $592 million [1] - Shipment volumes declined by 6% in Q4 and 4.9% for the full year, attributed to market softness and lower selling prices [1] Specialty Materials Segment - Specialty materials sales for Q4 2025 were $49 million, up from $27 million in Q4 2024, with operating profit increasing to $7 million from approximately $2 million [1] - Full-year sales for specialty materials reached $182 million, compared to $141 million in 2024, with operating profit rising to $47 million from $17 million [1] - The growth in specialty materials was driven by higher volume demand at AMPAC and the acquisition of Calca Solutions, with a commitment of approximately $1 billion to this segment [1] Financial Performance and Shareholder Returns - The company generated solid cash flows in 2025, returning $183 million to shareholders through share repurchases of $77 million and dividends of $106 million [1] - Total debt was reduced by $88 million compared to 2024, with a net debt to EBITDA ratio of 1.1 times, down from 1.2 at the end of 2024 [1] - The strong cash flow performance supports continued investment in growth, efficiency, acquisitions, and shareholder returns [1]