StockNews.com Upgrades Stepan (NYSE:SCL) to Buy

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of SCL stock opened at $75.22 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $75.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.14. Stepan has a 52-week low of $69.78 and a 52-week high of $96.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.42 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 the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. The business 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in Stepan by 3,053.3% during the 2nd 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 period. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Stepan during the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stepan during the second quarter valued at $59,000. Adirondack Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Stepan by 60.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Stepan by 43.9% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

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.