Quantbot Technologies LP Boosts Stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 334.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 7,778 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Stepan were worth $780,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 458 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stepan in the third quarter worth about $48,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan during the second quarter worth about $59,000. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Stepan by 43.9% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Stepan in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $123,000. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE SCL opened at $76.90 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.26 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $79.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.27. Stepan has a fifty-two week low of $69.78 and a fifty-two week high of $96.68.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.38. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.56% and a net margin of 2.10%. The company had revenue of $546.84 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $577.23 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.64 earnings per share. Stepan’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This is an increase from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is 74.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.