BNP Paribas Financial Markets Purchases 5,420 Shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 82.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,997 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,420 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.05% of Stepan worth $776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Stepan by 781.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 617 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Stepan by 40.8% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in Stepan in the 4th quarter valued at $239,000. Howe & Rusling Inc. boosted its holdings in Stepan by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 4,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Stepan during the fourth quarter worth $294,000. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stepan from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday.

Stepan Trading Down 1.2%

SCL traded down $0.66 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $55.81. The stock had a trading volume of 5,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 121,950. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.22 and a beta of 1.00. Stepan has a 52 week low of $44.23 and a 52 week high of $94.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.21. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $52.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.32.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $593.26 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $562.77 million. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.60%.

Stepan 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.