Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Issues Earnings Results

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The basic materials company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.33), Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $525.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $520.97 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.21% and a net margin of 2.31%. The company’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.33 EPS.

Stepan Stock Performance

SCL opened at $63.94 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Stepan has a 12-month low of $59.55 and a 12-month high of $94.76. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $64.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a PE ratio of 28.93 and a beta of 0.84.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.385 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday.

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.