Squarepoint Ops LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 245.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,405 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 19,477 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in Stepan were worth $2,301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Stepan by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,562,730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $242,306,000 after acquiring an additional 14,038 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,279,450 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $107,421,000 after purchasing an additional 34,264 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 7.6% during the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 747,140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $62,730,000 after acquiring an additional 52,944 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Stepan by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 325,443 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,324,000 after purchasing an additional 6,542 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Stepan by 51.1% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 211,302 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,741,000 after buying an additional 71,431 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP David Kabbes purchased 1,056 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $71.39 per share, for a total transaction of $75,387.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $75,387.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Stepan Price Performance

NYSE:SCL opened at $76.41 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $76.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.70. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.03 and a beta of 0.80. Stepan has a 1-year low of $63.60 and a 1-year high of $96.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.26). Stepan had a return on equity of 3.83% and a net margin of 1.58%. The business had revenue of $556.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $581.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.53 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.12 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 90.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 28th.

Stepan 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.