Commenting on the first quarter results, Patrick S. Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer, said,
“This was a good start to the year for Innospec. We again benefited from our balanced business portfolio as the short-term negative impact of volume and margin headwinds in Performance Chemicals was partially offset by growth and margin expansion in Oilfield Services.
In Performance Chemicals, as predicted, destocking and weaker demand negatively impacted volumes and margins in the quarter. This business has been affected the most by near-term economic uncertainty as customers exhibit cautious and conservative order patterns. While we believe these conditions will continue in the short-term, we expect sequential volume and margin improvement in the coming quarters. In addition, new personal care contracts are scheduled to begin in the third quarter which we believe will support continued growth, as our focus remains on recovering to 2022 operating income run rates, in the second half of this year.
In Fuel Specialties, gross margins improved sequentially from last quarter towards our targeted 32 to 35 percent range. Continued price action, strong sales mix and slowing inflation all contributed to sequential gross margin improvement dampened by a $7.4 million inventory misappropriation in Brazil. Through the balance of 2023, we expect gross margins to recover to the lower end of our target range, as the global business team continues to focus on a variety of margin improvement actions and opportunities.
In Oilfield Services, strength in production chemicals and further sequential improvements in our other segments drove excellent results in the quarter. We continue to pursue topline and margin expansion opportunities across the business, and we feel optimistic that we can deliver full year operating income growth in 2023.”
In Performance Chemicals, revenues of $151.4 million were down 9 percent from $167.1 million in the first quarter last year. A positive price/mix of 6 percent was offset by a volume decline of 13 percent and an adverse currency impact of 2 percent. Gross margins reduced by 8.5 percentage points from the same quarter last year, to 15.9 percent. Operating income for the quarter of $10.4 million decreased 59 percent on the prior year.
Revenues in Fuel Specialties of $190.3 million for the quarter were down slightly from $191.8 million a year ago. A 20 percent reduction in volume and an adverse currency impact of 3 percent were partially offset by a positive price/mix of 22 percent. Gross margins of 30.2 percent were 1.4 percentage points below last year. Operating income of $32.4 million was down from $35.5 million a year ago. Adjusting for the $7.4 million inventory issue in Brazil gross margins were 34.1 percent and operating income was $39.8 million.
Revenues in Oilfield Services were $167.9 million for the quarter, up 48 percent from $113.5 million in the first quarter last year. Gross margins improved by 6.2 percentage points from the same quarter last year to 39.5 percent. Operating income of $15.9 million was a $13.4 million increase over the $2.5 million in the prior year.
Corporate costs for the quarter were $17.7 million, compared with $19.0 million a year ago, due mainly to lower share-based compensation accruals.
The effective tax rate for the quarter was 26.2 percent compared to 24.3 percent in the same period last year.
For the quarter, net cash provided by operating activities was $21.8 million compared to net cash used in operating activities of $29.0 million a year ago. As of March 31, 2023, Innospec had $147.5 million in cash and cash equivalents and no debt.
Mr. Williams concluded,
“We are very pleased with our start to 2023 as operating income growth and margin expansion in Oilfield Services more than offset volume and margin headwinds in Performance Chemicals. The inventory issue in Fuel Specialties dampened what was otherwise a very strong quarter, and we are pursuing all legal options open to us.
Despite the potential for recession in the near term, we remain focused on technology development and margin improvement initiatives which will deliver organic growth over the medium to long-term across our diversified business portfolio.
Our outlook for technology and sustainability-driven organic growth opportunities remains strong in all businesses. With over $147 million in net cash, we feel that Innospec has the flexibility to fund organic opportunities, pursue complimentary M&A and continue dividend growth and share repurchases. This quarter our Board approved a further 10 percent increase in our semi-annual dividend to 69 cents per share continuing our record of returning value to shareholders.”