AlphaQuest LLC Lowers Stake in Stepan Company $SCL

AlphaQuest LLC lessened its position in shares of Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 83.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,469 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 17,207 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Stepan were worth $189,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Stepan by 45.4% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 589 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Stepan by 231.4% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 865 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 604 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Stepan during the first quarter valued at about $50,000. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in Stepan during the second quarter valued at about $218,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Stepan during the second quarter valued at about $274,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

Stepan Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:SCL opened at $43.40 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.29. Stepan Company has a one year low of $42.00 and a one year high of $82.08. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.71. The stock has a market cap of $981.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.92 and a beta of 0.96.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.12. Stepan had a return on equity of 3.70% and a net margin of 1.96%.The business had revenue of $590.28 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $593.65 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Stepan Company will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th will be paid a $0.395 dividend. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. This is a positive change from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. Stepan’s payout ratio is presently 77.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on SCL shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Zacks Research upgraded Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Stepan currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

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.