Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL)’s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $49.53 and traded as high as $50.58. Stepan shares last traded at $50.0950, with a volume of 135,414 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on SCL. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Stepan from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Stepan Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company’s 50 day moving average is $54.48 and its 200 day moving average is $49.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.44 and a beta of 1.01.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The basic materials company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.37). Stepan had a return on equity of 3.38% and a net margin of 2.01%.The business had revenue of $553.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $570.60 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.12 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Stepan Company will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.395 per share. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio is 77.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stepan

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SCL. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Stepan by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,599,083 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $76,276,000 after buying an additional 91,746 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its stake in Stepan by 6.7% in the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,336,855 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $72,966,000 after acquiring an additional 83,941 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its position in Stepan by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 900,377 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $42,642,000 after purchasing an additional 205,157 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Stepan by 8.4% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 586,473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,975,000 after purchasing an additional 45,520 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 514,401 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,362,000 after purchasing an additional 2,060 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.