Innospec Inc. (NASDAQ:IOSP) Shares Sold by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lowered its holdings in Innospec Inc. (NASDAQ:IOSP - Free Report) by 24.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 25,031 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 7,916 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG owned about 0.10% of Innospec worth $2,755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Innospec by 3.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 336,522 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $38,057,000 after purchasing an additional 11,479 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Innospec by 24.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 266,688 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $30,160,000 after buying an additional 52,640 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Innospec by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 237,616 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $26,152,000 after buying an additional 2,633 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Innospec by 5.2% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,103 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Innospec by 46.1% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 32,193 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,641,000 after acquiring an additional 10,162 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.64% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Corbin Barnes sold 2,692 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $278,083.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,051 shares in the company, valued at $831,668.30. This trade represents a 25.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Milton C. Blackmore sold 652 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $67,351.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,376 shares in the company, valued at $865,240.80. The trade was a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,696 shares of company stock valued at $794,853 over the last three months. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Innospec Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:IOSP traded down $2.62 on Friday, reaching $85.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 309,691 shares, compared to its average volume of 141,987. Innospec Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.98 and a 52-week high of $133.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.44 and a beta of 1.08. The stock's 50-day moving average is $103.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.93.

Innospec (NASDAQ:IOSP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $466.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.43 million. Innospec had a return on equity of 12.27% and a net margin of 1.93%. Equities analysts forecast that Innospec Inc. will post 6.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Innospec announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Monday, March 10th that allows the company to repurchase $50.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty chemicals company to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Innospec from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Innospec 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.