Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Stepan (NYSE:SCL)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $61.89 and last traded at $62.28, with a volume of 75744 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $63.53.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 17th.

Stepan Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.29. The stock has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.82 and a beta of 0.84.

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

Stepan Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.49%. This is a boost from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SCL. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Stepan by 110.6% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Stepan by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,031,000 after purchasing an additional 23,626 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Stepan by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 486,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,626,000 after buying an additional 4,777 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 28,655 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake 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 valued at $5,600,000 after buying an additional 9,213 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.