UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Reduces Position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC trimmed its holdings in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 51,282 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,064 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.23% of Stepan worth $3,962,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Stepan by 3,053.3% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan during the 2nd quarter worth about $59,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan during the 2nd quarter worth about $123,000. 82.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 17th.

Stepan Stock Down 1.9 %

SCL stock opened at $74.08 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.86 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Stepan has a 12 month low of $69.78 and a 12 month high of $96.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $75.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.77.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.23 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. Stepan’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This is an increase from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.62%.

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.