Commenting on the second quarter results, Patrick S. Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer, said,
“Our core strategic businesses had another good quarter, with growth in both revenues and operating income. Our results include Octane Additives, which was markedly lower in this quarter compared to the same period last year.”
“Excluding Octane Additives in both quarters, we delivered a 17 percent increase in adjusted EPS. We believe that our performance across the board, combined with our strategy, has contributed to share price growth. This has resulted in higher share-based compensation accruals, equivalent to EPS of 10 cents, compared to the same quarter last year.”
“Performance Chemicals continued to deliver good growth, with sales up 13 percent, and a solid improvement in gross margins compared to 2017. Growth continued to be driven by a combination of increased sales of our existing products, combined with further launches of new technology, which has been well received by customers in both personal and home care. Overall, operating income was up 49 percent, and adjusted EBITDA was up 36 percent compared to the same period last year.”
“Fuel Specialties delivered good growth with sales up 11 percent, but the challenge of higher raw material costs, driven by the continued strength of crude oil, has put pressure on margins. Nevertheless, good cost control has ensured the operating income is broadly similar to 2017 and when raw materials prices stabilize, we expect our pricing to improve margins, which are currently at the low end of the range.”
“In Oilfield Services, we continue to focus on improving profitability. Sales in the quarter are up 25 percent on prior year, but well documented issues from raw materials, transportation and labor costs have impacted the improvement in operating income. However, a solid increase of 11 percent in operating income year on year and 37 percent sequentially over Q1 2018 reflects the progress we are making. We anticipate further improvements in the second half of the year.”
“As we expected, Octane Additives had a slower quarter, which resulted in a drop in operating income of almost 60 percent compared to the same period last year.”
“Overall, our strategy remains on track and we have delivered in line with our expectations.”
In Performance Chemicals, revenues of $118.9 million were up 13 percent from $104.9 million a year ago. Volumes grew by 6 percent driven by good customer demand, and continued new product introductions combined with a positive currency impact of 7 percent. Gross margins were up by 3.4 percentage points on prior year, and broadly in line with the first quarter. Operating income was up by 49 percent from last year at $9.7 million.
Revenues in Fuel Specialties were $134.2 million for the quarter, an 11 percent increase from $121.3 million last year. Good customer activity drove a volume increase of 10 percent and there was a positive currency impact of 6 percent, offsetting an unfavorable price/mix impact of 5 percent. Revenues were up in all regions increasing by 9 percent in both EMEA and Asia Pacific, and by 17 percent in the Americas. Gross margins of 33.2 percent were down 4.1 percentage points on a comparatively strong quarter, as raw material prices continue to provide a headwind, driven by the continued strength of crude oil prices. Operating income for the quarter was $23.7 million broadly flat on the same quarter last year.
In Oilfield Services, revenues of $95.0 million were up 25 percent on the second quarter of 2017, driven by continued improvement in customer activity, especially in stimulation and completion. Overall volumes increased by 17 percent and there was a favorable price/mix impact of 8 percent. Gross margins were down 3.7 percentage points on the first quarter of 2018 as costs of raw materials, transportation and labor continued to provide a headwind for this business. Operating income of $4.1 million was up 11 percent on the same quarter last year.
In Octane Additives, revenues for the quarter were $10.0 million compared to $24.0 million a year ago. Gross margin was 59.0 percent, and operating income of $5.2 million compared to $12.8 million in last year’s second quarter.
Corporate costs for the quarter were $14.4 million, compared to the $12.4 million recorded a year ago, driven higher by increased stock-based compensation accruals as a result of the 12 percent increase in the Innospec share price from the previous quarter.