Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 18,876 Shares of Innospec Inc. (NASDAQ:IOSP)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its holdings in Innospec Inc. (NASDAQ:IOSP - Free Report) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,158,583 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 18,876 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 4.65% of Innospec worth $127,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in IOSP. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Innospec during the 4th quarter valued at $106,000. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Innospec by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 967 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Innospec by 82.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,236 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 558 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Innospec by 54.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,201 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Innospec by 91.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,802 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $198,000 after acquiring an additional 863 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.64% of the company's stock.

Innospec Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ IOSP traded up $2.37 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $92.39. 18,807 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 202,250. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.98 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $93.58 and a 200 day moving average of $106.39. Innospec Inc. has a 1 year low of $80.32 and a 1 year high of $133.71.

Innospec (NASDAQ:IOSP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.05. Innospec had a net margin of 1.93% and a return on equity of 12.27%. The business had revenue of $466.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.43 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Innospec Inc. will post 6.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Innospec declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Monday, March 10th that permits the company to buyback $50.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on IOSP. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Innospec from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Innospec from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday.

Insider Activity at Innospec

In other news, Director Milton C. Blackmore sold 652 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $67,351.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $865,240.80. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Philip John Boon sold 3,754 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $387,788.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,079 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,074,160.70. This trade represents a 15.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 7,696 shares of company stock worth $794,853. 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.