Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Sells 6,052 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. reduced its stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL) by 24.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,426 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 6,052 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned 0.08% of Stepan worth $1,742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Stepan by 2,141.7% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 269 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 277.5% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 453 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Stepan from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th.

Stepan Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE:SCL opened at $83.98 on Friday. Stepan has a 52 week low of $63.60 and a 52 week high of $100.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $87.49 and a 200 day moving average of $85.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.99 and a beta of 0.83.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $532.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $534.48 million. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.20% and a net margin of 1.73%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Stepan’s payout ratio is currently 85.71%.

Insider Transactions at Stepan

In related news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $455,350.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at $23,274,486.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total transaction of $327,730.07. Following the sale, the director now owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at $23,029,142.37. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total value of $455,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at $23,274,486.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,637 shares of company stock worth $957,940 over the last 90 days. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.