Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

Stepan (NYSE:SCL)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $61.89 and last traded at $62.28, with a volume of 75744 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $63.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised Stepan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 17th.

Stepan Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.82 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.38. Stepan had a net margin of 2.10% and a return on equity of 4.56%. The firm had revenue of $546.84 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $577.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Stepan will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This is an increase from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 110.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Stepan by 19.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,031,000 after buying an additional 23,626 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stepan by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 486,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,626,000 after buying an additional 4,777 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Stepan by 177.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,460,000 after acquiring an additional 28,655 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its position in Stepan by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 72,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,600,000 after acquiring an additional 9,213 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Stepan

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.