Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Director Susan Lewis Acquires 500 Shares of Stock

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Director Susan Lewis acquired 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $120,452.88. The trade was a 35.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Stepan Stock Performance

SCL opened at $61.89 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $63.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.09. The stock has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.00 and a beta of 0.84. Stepan has a 1-year low of $59.55 and a 1-year high of $94.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.33). The business had revenue of $525.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $520.97 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.21% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.33 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stepan

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 110.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in Stepan by 781.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 617 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Stepan by 43.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at about $161,000. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan during the third quarter valued at about $168,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th.

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.