Bessemer Group Inc. Grows Position in Stepan Company $SCL

Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 33.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 143,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,386 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.63% of Stepan worth $7,182,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of Stepan by 6.4% in the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 12,018 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $601,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Stepan by 5,403.4% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,898 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 4,809 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 947,452 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $47,354,000 after purchasing an additional 47,075 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 10,325 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. acquired a new position in Stepan in the 1st quarter worth about $850,000. 82.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stepan Trading Down 0.3%

SCL stock opened at $58.46 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Stepan Company has a 12-month low of $41.82 and a 12-month high of $68.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -94.29 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s 50-day moving average is $53.78 and its 200 day moving average is $53.12.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $604.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $612.25 million. Stepan had a positive return on equity of 2.65% and a negative net margin of 0.61%.The business’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.84 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Stepan Company will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.395 per share. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Stepan’s payout ratio is presently -254.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Stepan from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research upgraded Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Stepan has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

About Stepan

Stepan Company is a global manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals, primarily known for its development and production of surfactants and related specialty products. The company’s portfolio includes a wide range of ingredients used to enhance the performance of consumer and industrial formulations, such as emulsifiers, foam control agents, odor control agents, antimicrobial products and performance additives. These products are integral components in cleaning solutions, personal care items, agrochemical formulations, coatings, oilfield treatments and polymer systems.

Serving a diverse set of end-markets, Stepan’s offerings address both consumer-facing and industrial applications.