Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.29, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $551.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $575.83 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.20% and a net margin of 1.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.71 EPS.

Stepan Price Performance

NYSE:SCL traded up $0.70 on Wednesday, reaching $83.69. 2,497 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 76,147. Stepan has a 12 month low of $63.60 and a 12 month high of $100.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $87.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.00. The firm has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of 47.82 and a beta of 0.83.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Insider Transactions at Stepan

In related news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $455,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at $23,274,486.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $455,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at $23,274,486.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total value of $174,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 250,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,916,602.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,637 shares of company stock valued at $957,940. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Stepan from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th.

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.