CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Decreases Holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co reduced its position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 13.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,015 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,794 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned approximately 0.11% of Stepan worth $1,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stepan by 781.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 617 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Stepan by 40.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan in the 4th quarter worth $239,000. Finally, Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its holdings in Stepan by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 4,254 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of SCL stock opened at $48.25 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.83 and a beta of 0.97. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $54.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.40. Stepan has a one year low of $44.23 and a one year high of $94.77.

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

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.385 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. Stepan’s payout ratio is 69.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Susan Lewis acquired 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $120,452.88. This trade represents a 35.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Stepan 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.