SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 6,376 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 189.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 9,735 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,376 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Stepan were worth $752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SCL. Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Stepan by 3,053.3% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the second quarter valued at $59,000. Adirondack Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 60.0% during the second quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the second quarter valued at $123,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the second quarter valued at $129,000. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:SCL opened at $74.96 on Friday. Stepan has a 1-year low of $63.60 and a 1-year high of $96.68. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $75.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.16 and a beta of 0.80.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released 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). The company had revenue of $556.41 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $581.30 million. Stepan had a net margin of 1.58% and a return on equity of 3.83%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.53 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Stepan will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. Stepan’s payout ratio is 90.36%.

Insider Activity at Stepan

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered 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.