ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Has $7.24 Million Stock Holdings in Innospec Inc. $IOSP

Key Points

• ZWJ Investment Counsel boosted its Innospec stake by 110.9% in Q4 to 94,535 shares, worth about $7.24 million (≈0.38% of the company).
• Company insiders have been net sellers—directors David Landless and Larry Padfield recently sold shares, with insiders selling 4,989 shares (~$391,889) over the last 90 days and owning about 1.45% of stock.
• Innospec beat EPS expectations at $1.50 but missed revenue estimates, and analysts maintain a cautious stance (average rating: Reduce); the stock trades at a PE of 16.07.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in Innospec Inc. (NASDAQ:IOSP - Free Report) by 110.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 94,535 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 49,705 shares during the quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. owned approximately 0.38% of Innospec worth $7,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Innospec by 31.0% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 588 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Innospec by 8.8% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,917 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in shares of Innospec by 27.5% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 801 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Innospec by 0.8% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 23,062 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,939,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Innospec by 0.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,868 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,150,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.64% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David Landless sold 594 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.56, for a total transaction of $45,476.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,305.92. The trade was a 7.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Larry Padfield sold 1,030 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.84, for a total value of $84,295.20. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,508 shares of the company's stock, valued at $696,294.72. The trade was a 10.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 4,989 shares of company stock valued at $391,889 over the last 90 days. 1.45% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on IOSP. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Innospec from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Zacks Research lowered Innospec from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Innospec presently has an average rating of "Reduce".

Innospec Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of Innospec stock opened at $75.22 on Wednesday. Innospec Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.51 and a 12 month high of $95.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.60. The stock has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of 16.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.90.

Innospec (NASDAQ:IOSP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.24. Innospec had a return on equity of 10.18% and a net margin of 6.56%.The business had revenue of $455.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $460.87 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Innospec Inc. will post 6.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Innospec

Innospec Incorporated NASDAQ: IOSP is a global specialty chemicals company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The company operates through three principal business segments: Fuel Specialties, Oilfield Services, and Performance Chemicals. In the Fuel Specialties segment, Innospec develops and supplies additives designed to enhance octane levels, improve combustion efficiency, reduce emissions and prevent deposit formation in gasoline and diesel engines. Its Oilfield Services division provides chemical technologies—such as surfactants, corrosion inhibitors and demulsifiers—to support exploration, drilling, production optimization and enhanced oil recovery operations.

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