Dean Capital Management Boosts Stake in Stepan Company $SCL

Dean Capital Management grew its position in shares of Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 96.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 57,248 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 28,104 shares during the quarter. Stepan comprises 1.2% of Dean Capital Management's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Dean Capital Management owned about 0.25% of Stepan worth $2,861,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Stepan by 86.9% during the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 570 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Stepan by 206.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 521 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 351 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Stepan by 700.0% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 602 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Stepan during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Stepan during the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on SCL. Zacks Research raised shares of Stepan from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Stepan from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce".

Stepan Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE SCL opened at $57.55 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Stepan Company has a fifty-two week low of $41.82 and a fifty-two week high of $68.00. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $54.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.50. The stock has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of -92.81 and a beta of 0.95.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $604.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $612.25 million. Stepan had a negative net margin of 0.61% and a positive return on equity of 2.65%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.84 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Stepan Company will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $0.395 dividend. This represents a $1.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. Stepan's payout ratio is currently -254.84%.

Stepan Profile

Stepan Company is a global manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals, primarily known for its development and production of surfactants and related specialty products. The company's portfolio includes a wide range of ingredients used to enhance the performance of consumer and industrial formulations, such as emulsifiers, foam control agents, odor control agents, antimicrobial products and performance additives. These products are integral components in cleaning solutions, personal care items, agrochemical formulations, coatings, oilfield treatments and polymer systems.

Serving a diverse set of end-markets, Stepan's offerings address both consumer-facing and industrial applications.

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