Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Stepan (NYSE:SCL) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $63.81 and last traded at $64.18, with a volume of 6177 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $65.26.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Stepan Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $73.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.38. The firm has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.11 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

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

Stepan Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.39%. This is a boost from Stepan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Stepan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in Stepan by 3,053.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 473 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 458 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Stepan by 43.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Stepan during the 2nd quarter valued at $129,000. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stepan in the second quarter valued at $134,000. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.