Stepan (SCL) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.39 on December 13th

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, October 30th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of 0.385 per share by the basic materials company on Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This is an increase from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38.

Stepan has increased its dividend payment by an average of 9.2% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 56 years. Stepan has a payout ratio of 36.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Stepan to earn $4.08 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.50 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 36.8%.

Stepan Trading Down 2.7 %

SCL opened at $72.41 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.85. Stepan has a 52 week low of $69.78 and a 52 week high of $96.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.03 and a beta of 0.80.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $577.23 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.10% and a return on equity of 4.56%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Stepan will post 2.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Stepan

In other Stepan news, VP David Kabbes bought 1,056 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $71.39 per share, with a total value of $75,387.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,387.84. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 28th.

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.