Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on SCL. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Stepan in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Stepan from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Stepan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Stepan presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE SCL opened at $64.69 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $57.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.45. The company has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of -539.08 and a beta of 0.94. Stepan has a 1 year low of $41.82 and a 1 year high of $68.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.57. Stepan had a positive return on equity of 3.90% and a negative net margin of 0.11%.The business had revenue of $684.11 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $635.85 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Stepan will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a $0.395 dividend. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Stepan’s payout ratio is -1,316.67%.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCL. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 947,452 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,354,000 after purchasing an additional 47,075 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan in the first quarter valued at about $850,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 124.8% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 174,376 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $8,715,000 after purchasing an additional 96,823 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Stepan during the fourth quarter worth about $623,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Stepan by 11.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 94,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,715,000 after buying an additional 9,534 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Company Profile

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.