105,940 Shares in Stepan Company $SCL Bought by Towle & Co.

Towle & Co. bought a new position in shares of Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 105,940 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,295,000. Stepan accounts for 2.0% of Towle & Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Towle & Co. owned approximately 0.47% of Stepan as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SCL. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 86.9% in the fourth quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 570 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Stepan by 206.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 521 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Stepan by 700.0% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Stepan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Stepan in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SCL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research raised shares of Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Stepan Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of Stepan stock opened at $57.60 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $54.35 and its 200 day moving average is $53.43. Stepan Company has a one year low of $41.82 and a one year high of $68.00. The firm has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -92.91 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.06. Stepan had a positive return on equity of 2.65% and a negative net margin of 0.61%.The business had revenue of $604.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $612.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.84 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Stepan Company will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a $0.395 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Stepan’s payout ratio is currently -254.84%.

About Stepan

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.