Nuveen LLC Makes New $4.97 Million Investment in Stepan Company $SCL

Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 90,325 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,971,000. Nuveen LLC owned 0.40% of Stepan at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in Stepan by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 6,606 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Stepan by 2.7% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 14,057 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $774,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Stepan by 67.9% in the first quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Stepan by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,146 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in Stepan by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 13,100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $848,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on SCL shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Zacks Research downgraded Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Sell”.

Stepan Price Performance

SCL opened at $50.59 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $54.05 and a 200-day moving average of $54.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92 and a beta of 0.98. Stepan Company has a 12-month low of $44.23 and a 12-month high of $82.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.40). The business had revenue of $594.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $598.25 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.57% and a return on equity of 4.78%. Stepan’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Stepan Company will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

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

Stepan 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.