Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

SCL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Stepan in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Stepan from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of SCL opened at $62.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -518.41 and a beta of 0.94. Stepan has a twelve month low of $41.82 and a twelve month high of $68.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $62.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.04.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.57. Stepan had a negative net margin of 0.11% and a positive return on equity of 3.90%. The company had revenue of $684.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $635.85 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new stake in Stepan in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the 2nd quarter worth about $77,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Stepan in the 2nd quarter valued at about $85,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Stepan in the 2nd quarter valued at about $129,000. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company’s stock.

About Stepan

Stepan Company is a global manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals. Founded in 1932 and headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, the company develops, manufactures and sells chemical products used by businesses in a range of consumer and industrial markets.

Its principal products include surfactants, which are used in detergents, cleaners, personal care products, agricultural formulations and food applications. Stepan also produces polyurethane polyols, specialty polymers and other chemical intermediates used in insulation, construction materials, automotive products, coatings, adhesives and other industrial applications.

Stepan serves customers across North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia through a network of manufacturing and research facilities.