Topic: How To Invest

Hi, Pat. Could you please provide an opinion on Innophos Holdings Inc.? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Innophos Holdings Inc., $35.61, symbol IPHS on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 19.3 million; Market cap: $689.2 million, www.innophos.com), makes specialized phosphate-based ingredients for food makers, drug manufacturers and industrial clients. These additives improve the quality of a broad range of products such as enhancing the flavour of soft drinks and the cleaning power of detergents. The company operates plants in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and China. Innophos first sold shares to the public in November 2006 and began trading on the Nasdaq exchange at $12.00. The company’s sales rose 4.2%, from $810.5 million in 2011 to $844.1 million in 2013. Sales then fell to $839.2 million in 2014, and to $789.1 million in 2015. That’s mainly because the higher U.S. dollar has made the company’s products more expensive in other countries. China has also cut or dropped certain taxes to spur its exports of fertilizer and other phosphate products. That has forced down global prices. Innophos’s earnings fell from $3.88 a share (or…