Seaport Res Ptn Comments on Stepan’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:SCL)

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) – Research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn reduced their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Stepan in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 26th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now anticipates that the basic materials company will earn $0.54 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.92. The consensus estimate for Stepan’s current full-year earnings is $3.55 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Stepan’s Q4 2025 earnings at $0.65 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $3.00 EPS.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.33). Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The business had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $520.97 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.33 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Stepan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th.

Stepan Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE SCL opened at $56.81 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.21. Stepan has a 52-week low of $56.65 and a 52-week high of $94.76. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $63.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.84. The stock has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.71 and a beta of 0.84.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.68%.

Insider Transactions at Stepan

In other news, Director Susan Lewis acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares in the company, valued at $120,452.88. This represents a 35.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of SCL. Norges Bank bought a new position in Stepan during the fourth quarter worth $7,545,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its stake in Stepan by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 638,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,311,000 after acquiring an additional 108,556 shares in the last quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Stepan by 24.0% during the fourth quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 383,685 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,824,000 after acquiring an additional 74,238 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in Stepan by 409.2% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 92,053 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,111,000 after acquiring an additional 73,976 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its stake in Stepan by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 921,704 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $59,634,000 after acquiring an additional 60,985 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Company 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.