Vanguard Group Inc. Has $122.60 Million Holdings in Stepan Company $SCL

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,570,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 16,320 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.36% of Stepan worth $122,601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Stepan by 206.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 521 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Stepan during the second quarter valued at approximately $100,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Stepan by 34.1% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,703 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $129,000 after purchasing an additional 688 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in Stepan in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $207,000. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Stock Down 2.2%

NYSE:SCL opened at $49.41 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Stepan Company has a 12-month low of $41.82 and a 12-month high of $68.00. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $55.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.10 and a beta of 1.05.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The basic materials company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.37). Stepan had a net margin of 2.01% and a return on equity of 3.38%. The company had revenue of $553.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $570.60 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.12 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Stepan Company will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.395 per share. This represents a $1.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

Stepan Profile

Stepan Company is a global manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals, primarily known for its development and production of surfactants and related specialty products. The company’s portfolio includes a wide range of ingredients used to enhance the performance of consumer and industrial formulations, such as emulsifiers, foam control agents, odor control agents, antimicrobial products and performance additives. These products are integral components in cleaning solutions, personal care items, agrochemical formulations, coatings, oilfield treatments and polymer systems.

Serving a diverse set of end-markets, Stepan’s offerings address both consumer-facing and industrial applications.