Stepan Company $SCL Stock Position Lifted by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 6.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,599,083 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 91,746 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.07% of Stepan worth $76,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its stake in Stepan by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,336,855 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $72,966,000 after buying an additional 83,941 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 1.5% in the third quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 695,220 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,162,000 after acquiring an additional 10,462 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 9.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 540,953 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,525,000 after acquiring an additional 46,824 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 1.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 508,510 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,758,000 after acquiring an additional 9,207 shares during the period. Finally, Southernsun Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Stepan by 8.0% during the second quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 406,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $22,160,000 after purchasing an additional 30,002 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Stepan in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Stepan Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:SCL opened at $66.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.64 and a beta of 1.05. Stepan Company has a 1-year low of $41.82 and a 1-year high of $68.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $53.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.24.

Stepan Company Profile

Stepan Company is a global manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals, primarily known for its development and production of surfactants and related specialty products. The company’s portfolio includes a wide range of ingredients used to enhance the performance of consumer and industrial formulations, such as emulsifiers, foam control agents, odor control agents, antimicrobial products and performance additives. These products are integral components in cleaning solutions, personal care items, agrochemical formulations, coatings, oilfield treatments and polymer systems.

Serving a diverse set of end-markets, Stepan’s offerings address both consumer-facing and industrial applications.