Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

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

Stepan Trading Up 1.2 %

SCL stock opened at $62.99 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.34 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.80. Stepan has a 52 week low of $59.70 and a 52 week high of $95.33.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $546.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $577.23 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.56% and a net margin of 2.10%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Stepan will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. This is a boost from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Stepan’s payout ratio is 76.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SCL. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Stepan by 110.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 3,053.3% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan in the third quarter worth about $48,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 43.9% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan in the second quarter valued at about $129,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

About Stepan

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.