Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Hits New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $59.54 and last traded at $59.74, with a volume of 37190 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $61.38.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Stepan Trading Down 6.0 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.95. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.28 and a beta of 0.84.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly 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). 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 the consensus estimate of $520.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.33 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Stepan will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Stepan’s payout ratio is 69.68%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Susan Lewis bought 500 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $120,452.88. The trade was a 35.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 6.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Stepan by 110.6% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its position in Stepan by 4.0% during 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 holdings in Stepan by 43.9% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Stepan by 3.9% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 13,100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $848,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

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.