Susan Lewis Buys 500 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Stock

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $120,452.88. The trade was a 35.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $61.68 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of 27.91 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $63.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.96. Stepan has a twelve month low of $59.55 and a twelve month high of $94.76.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share 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 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 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Institutional Trading of Stepan

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 110.6% during 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. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Stepan by 781.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 617 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its stake 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. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Stepan during the third quarter valued at approximately $161,000. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Stepan in the third quarter worth approximately $168,000. 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.