Innospec (NASDAQ:IOSP) Upgraded by Seaport Res Ptn to Strong-Buy Rating

Innospec (NASDAQ:IOSP - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Innospec's Q1 2025 earnings at $1.39 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.62 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.75 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.66 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Innospec from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Innospec Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of IOSP stock traded down $0.54 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $89.79. 131,547 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 149,202. Innospec has a 12-month low of $80.32 and a 12-month high of $133.71. The company's 50-day moving average price is $94.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.23 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Innospec declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Monday, March 10th that permits the company to buyback $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty chemicals company to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Corbin Barnes sold 598 shares of Innospec stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.06, for a total value of $61,629.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $829,736.06. This trade represents a 6.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Philip John Boon sold 3,754 shares of Innospec stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $387,788.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,079 shares in the company, valued at $2,074,160.70. This represents a 15.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,696 shares of company stock worth $794,853 in the last ninety days. 1.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tsfg LLC purchased a new position in Innospec during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Innospec during the 4th quarter worth $106,000. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Innospec by 13.9% during 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 during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position 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. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Innospec by 54.2% during the 4th 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 during the period. 96.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.