Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL)’s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $53.05 and traded as high as $60.16. Stepan shares last traded at $59.4130, with a volume of 142,954 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Stepan currently has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Stepan Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $53.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of -94.29 and a beta of 0.95.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $604.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $612.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.84 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Stepan Company will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stepan

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Stepan by 206.5% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Stepan by 700.0% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

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.