Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning.

Stepan Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $75.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $75.40 and its 200-day moving average is $80.07. The company has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.47 and a beta of 0.81. Stepan has a 52-week low of $69.78 and a 52-week high of $96.68.

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

Stepan Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. This is a boost from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.63%.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 486,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,626,000 after buying an additional 4,777 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Stepan by 177.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,460,000 after acquiring an additional 28,655 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 72,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,600,000 after acquiring an additional 9,213 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $602,000. Finally, Southernsun Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Stepan by 11.0% during the third quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 309,447 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $23,905,000 after purchasing an additional 30,703 shares during the period. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Company 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.