Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) shares hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $53.42 and last traded at $53.52, with a volume of 8423 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $54.19.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Stepan Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.43 and a beta of 0.82.

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

Stepan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.68%.

Insider Activity at Stepan

In related news, Director Susan Lewis bought 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $120,452.88. This trade represents a 35.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 6.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in 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. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in Stepan by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 6,606 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $427,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in Stepan by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Stepan by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,146 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $786,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in Stepan by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 13,100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $848,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.