Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Sold by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP reduced its position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 22.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 47,476 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 13,449 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP owned 0.21% of Stepan worth $3,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SCL. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Stepan by 110.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Stepan by 40.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Stepan in the third quarter valued at about $170,000. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in Stepan during the 4th quarter worth approximately $239,000. Finally, Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its position in Stepan by 24.5% in the fourth quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 4,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 837 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Susan Lewis purchased 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $63.53 per share, with a total value of $31,765.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $120,452.88. The trade was a 35.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of SCL stock traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $47.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 23,148 shares, compared to its average volume of 110,771. Stepan has a twelve month low of $44.23 and a twelve month high of $94.77. The stock has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.67 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a fifty day moving average of $57.18 and a 200-day moving average of $66.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.33). Stepan had a return on equity of 4.21% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm had revenue of $525.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $520.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.68%.

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.