Pacer Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in Innospec Inc. (NASDAQ:IOSP)

Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Innospec Inc. (NASDAQ:IOSP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 485,706 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $53,457,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned approximately 1.95% of Innospec at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Innospec by 503.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 779 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC grew its position in Innospec by 200.0% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 900 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased 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 worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 558 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Innospec in the 3rd quarter valued at $215,000. Finally, Claro Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Innospec during the 4th quarter valued at $220,000. Institutional investors own 96.64% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Innospec

In other Innospec news, Director Milton C. Blackmore sold 1,035 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.92, for a total value of $127,222.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,109,721.76. This trade represents a 10.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.52% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Innospec Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ IOSP traded down $2.47 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $113.14. 88,866 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 107,975. Innospec Inc. has a 1-year low of $103.65 and a 1-year high of $133.71. The company has a market cap of $2.82 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $113.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.41.

Innospec (NASDAQ:IOSP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.35. Innospec had a return on equity of 13.33% and a net margin of 7.68%. The company had revenue of $443.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $442.13 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.59 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Innospec Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Innospec Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Innospec's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Innospec's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Innospec from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 11th.

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.