Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of Stepan stock traded up $1.41 during trading on Thursday, reaching $63.94. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 113,269 shares, compared to its average volume of 124,893. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Stepan has a 12-month low of $59.55 and a 12-month high of $94.76. The company has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.81 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $64.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.39.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.33). The company had revenue of $525.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $520.97 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.10% and a return on equity of 4.56%. Stepan’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.43 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Stepan by 177.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,460,000 after acquiring an additional 28,655 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Stepan by 19.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,031,000 after purchasing an additional 23,626 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 4,777 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised 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 worth $92,328,000 after purchasing an additional 17,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Stepan by 110.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.