US Bancorp DE Buys 817 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 6.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 817 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE owned about 0.06% of Stepan worth $1,045,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quest Partners LLC increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 458 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in Stepan in the 2nd quarter valued at $59,000. Adirondack Trust Co. increased its holdings in Stepan by 60.0% in the 2nd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Stepan in the 2nd quarter valued at $123,000. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday.

Stepan Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Stepan stock opened at $79.13 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of 39.37 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $75.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $80.52. Stepan has a 52-week low of $69.78 and a 52-week high of $96.68.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. Stepan had a net margin of 2.10% and a return on equity of 4.56%. The company had revenue of $546.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Stepan will post 2.09 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This is an increase from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Stepan’s payout ratio is currently 76.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP David Kabbes bought 1,056 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $71.39 per share, for a total transaction of $75,387.84. Following the purchase, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 6.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.