UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $9.80 Million Holdings in Innospec Inc. (NASDAQ:IOSP)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Innospec Inc. (NASDAQ:IOSP - Free Report) by 16.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 89,018 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,825 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.36% of Innospec worth $9,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Innospec during the fourth quarter worth $106,000. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Innospec by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 967 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Innospec by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,201 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Innospec by 82.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,236 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 558 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Innospec by 91.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,802 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $198,000 after acquiring an additional 863 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.64% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Innospec from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Innospec from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st.

Innospec Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of IOSP traded down $0.54 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $86.16. The stock had a trading volume of 102,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 154,927. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.08. Innospec Inc. has a one year low of $80.32 and a one year high of $133.53. The firm has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a PE ratio of 60.68 and a beta of 1.11.

Innospec (NASDAQ:IOSP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $440.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.50 million. Innospec had a net margin of 1.93% and a return on equity of 12.27%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.75 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Innospec Inc. will post 6.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Innospec Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were given a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 20th. This is a boost from Innospec's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.79. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. Innospec's payout ratio is presently 155.56%.

Innospec announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, March 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Leslie J. Parrette sold 446 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.63, for a total value of $40,420.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,497 shares in the company, valued at approximately $498,193.11. The trade was a 7.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.31% of the company's stock.

Innospec Company Profile

Innospec Inc develops, manufactures, blends, markets, and supplies specialty chemicals in the United States, rest of North America, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, and internationally. The company's Fuel Specialties segment offers a range of specialty chemical products that are used as additives in additives in diesel, jet, marine, fuel oil and other fuels.