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

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 82.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the 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 0.05% of Stepan worth $776,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Stepan by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,560,605 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $165,671,000 after acquiring an additional 25,841 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Stepan by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,310,760 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $84,806,000 after purchasing an additional 18,392 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Stepan by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 660,048 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $42,705,000 after purchasing an additional 17,283 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Stepan by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 451,123 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,188,000 after buying an additional 54,943 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Stepan by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 403,399 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,100,000 after buying an additional 29,179 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Trading Up 3.5%

SCL stock traded up $1.92 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $56.35. The stock had a trading volume of 39,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 122,094. The firm has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.54 and a beta of 1.00. Stepan has a twelve month low of $44.23 and a twelve month high of $94.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.35.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.33. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The company had revenue of $593.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $562.77 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Stepan's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Stepan's payout ratio is 62.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised Stepan from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday.

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.