Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Thursday morning.

Stepan Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of SCL opened at $63.94 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $64.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $71.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.93 and a beta of 0.84. Stepan has a 52 week low of $59.55 and a 52 week high of $94.76.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released 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 return on equity of 4.21% and a net margin of 2.31%. The company had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $520.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.33 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stepan

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Stepan by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,560,605 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $165,671,000 after purchasing an additional 25,841 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,310,760 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $84,806,000 after buying an additional 18,392 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,195,187 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $92,328,000 after buying an additional 17,530 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its stake in Stepan by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 921,704 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $59,634,000 after acquiring an additional 60,985 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Stepan by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 660,048 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $42,705,000 after acquiring an additional 17,283 shares during the period. 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.