5,047 Shares in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Bought by Pullen Investment Management LLC

Pullen Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 5,047 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $390,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 3,053.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the 2nd quarter worth about $59,000. Adirondack Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 60.0% during the 2nd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the 2nd quarter worth about $123,000. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE:SCL opened at $72.60 on Friday. Stepan has a 1 year low of $69.78 and a 1 year high of $96.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.45 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.08.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.26). Stepan had a net margin of 1.58% and a return on equity of 3.83%. The firm had revenue of $556.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $581.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.53 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Stepan’s payout ratio is currently 98.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 28th.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP David Kabbes bought 1,056 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $71.39 per share, with a total value of $75,387.84. Following the acquisition, the vice president now owns 1,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,387.84. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Stepan 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.