Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $72.83 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $75.08 and a 200-day moving average of $80.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.27. Stepan has a twelve month low of $69.78 and a twelve month high of $96.68. The firm has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of 36.23 and a beta of 0.81.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $546.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.23 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.56% and a net margin of 2.10%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. This is an increase from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. Stepan’s payout ratio is 76.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In other Stepan news, VP David Kabbes bought 1,056 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $71.39 per share, for a total transaction 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Stepan by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,541 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $717,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Stepan by 1.9% during the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 10,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $898,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Stepan by 5.6% during the second quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 4,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lifted its stake in Stepan by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 18,597 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,674,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in Stepan by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $811,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.