Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of Stepan stock opened at $82.83 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.90 and a beta of 0.81. Stepan has a twelve month low of $63.60 and a twelve month high of $96.96. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $85.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.93.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.29. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.04% and a net margin of 1.71%. The firm had revenue of $551.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $575.83 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.71 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.8 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Stepan

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Stepan by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 131,241 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,839,000 after buying an additional 2,831 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Stepan by 3.0% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 278,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $20,894,000 after purchasing an additional 8,199 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in Stepan by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 66,634 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,996,000 after buying an additional 3,158 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Stepan by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 120,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,008,000 after buying an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stepan in the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. 82.70% of the stock is 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.