Seaport Res Ptn Has Negative Outlook for Stepan Q1 Earnings

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) – Seaport Res Ptn reduced their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Stepan in a research note issued on Monday, April 21st. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now expects that the basic materials company will earn $0.52 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.54. The consensus estimate for Stepan’s current full-year earnings is $3.55 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Stepan’s Q2 2025 earnings at $0.85 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.97 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.57 EPS.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th.

Stepan Price Performance

SCL stock opened at $48.65 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.90. The stock has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.01 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Stepan has a 1 year low of $44.23 and a 1 year high of $94.77.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.33). The business had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $520.97 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.33 EPS.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In related news, Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $120,452.88. This represents a 35.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SCL. Norges Bank bought a new position in Stepan in the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,545,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 638,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,311,000 after purchasing an additional 108,556 shares in the last quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC grew its position in Stepan by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 383,685 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,824,000 after purchasing an additional 74,238 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its stake in Stepan by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 921,704 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $59,634,000 after purchasing an additional 60,985 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Stepan by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 451,123 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,188,000 after purchasing an additional 54,943 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.