Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning.

Stepan Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $90.04 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of 51.45 and a beta of 0.83. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $89.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $84.18. Stepan has a fifty-two week low of $63.60 and a fifty-two week high of $104.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $532.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $534.48 million. Stepan had a net margin of 1.73% and a return on equity of 4.20%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total value of $327,730.07. Following the transaction, the director now owns 255,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,029,142.37. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total value of $174,860.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 250,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,916,602.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total transaction of $327,730.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at $23,029,142.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,637 shares of company stock worth $957,940. 6.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCL. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its position in Stepan by 26.9% during the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 2,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 3,291 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $325,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 18.3% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 19,586 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,935,000 after buying an additional 3,027 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 58.9% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 11,487 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,135,000 after buying an additional 4,260 shares during the period. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 191.3% during the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,302 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $524,000 after buying an additional 3,482 shares during the period. 82.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stepan Company Profile

Stepan Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells specialty and intermediate chemicals to other manufacturers for use in various end products worldwide. It operates through three segments: Surfactants, Polymers, and Specialty Products. The Surfactants segment offers surfactants that are used in consumer and industrial cleaning and disinfection products, including detergents for washing clothes, dishes, carpets, and floors and walls, as well as shampoos and body washes; and other applications, such as fabric softeners, germicidal quaternary compounds, disinfectants, and lubricating ingredients.