Deutsche Bank AG Sells 1,960 Shares of Stepan Company $SCL

Deutsche Bank AG decreased its position in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 9.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,806 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,960 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned approximately 0.08% of Stepan worth $980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 5.7% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 426,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $23,470,000 after purchasing an additional 23,022 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Stepan by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,571,545 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $141,538,000 after buying an additional 10,940 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Stepan by 35.9% in the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,252,914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $68,960,000 after buying an additional 331,210 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 2.7% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 14,057 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the period. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 76.4% during the first quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 9,292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $511,000 after buying an additional 4,024 shares during the period. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SCL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Stepan presently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of SCL stock opened at $51.9640 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $54.21 and its 200 day moving average is $54.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.46 and a beta of 0.98. Stepan Company has a twelve month low of $44.23 and a twelve month high of $82.08.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.40). Stepan had a net margin of 2.57% and a return on equity of 4.78%. The firm had revenue of $594.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $598.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Stepan Company will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Stepan’s payout ratio is presently 60.63%.

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.