Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.45 EPS

Stepan (NYSE:SCL – Get Rating) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.45, MarketWatch Earnings reports. Stepan had a return on equity of 13.71% and a net margin of 5.87%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.82 EPS.

Shares of SCL stock traded up $1.69 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $100.01. 109,167 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 77,295. Stepan has a fifty-two week low of $95.28 and a fifty-two week high of $139.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.83. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $100.87. The firm has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.92 and a beta of 0.78.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 31st will be given a $0.335 dividend. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 27th. Stepan’s payout ratio is presently 22.67%.

SCL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Investment Research raised Stepan from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. TheStreet downgraded shares of Stepan from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 8th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Stepan in a research report on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Stepan in a research report on Tuesday, January 18th.

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SCL. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Stepan by 43.3% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,254 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 4,544 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in Stepan by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 6,872 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $854,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of Stepan by 97.1% during the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 8,226 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,023,000 after buying an additional 4,053 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 127.3% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 8,826 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 4,943 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.29% of the company’s stock.

About Stepan (Get Rating)

Stepan Co engages in the manufacture and sale of specialty and intermediate chemicals. It operates through the following segments: Surfactants, Polymers, and Specialty Products. The Surfactants segment offers a range of surfactant chemicals such as anionic, cationic, nonionic, and amphoteric surfactants.

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