Pullen Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL)

Pullen Investment Management LLC grew its position in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 225.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,990 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,935 shares during the quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC owned about 0.10% of Stepan worth $1,265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in shares of Stepan by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 6,606 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Stepan by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,146 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $786,000 after buying an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of Stepan by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 13,100 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $848,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 12,865 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $832,000 after buying an additional 528 shares during the period. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 781.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 617 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 547 shares during the period. 82.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stepan Stock Performance

Stepan stock traded down $0.89 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $54.07. 74,787 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 124,719. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $52.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.98 and a beta of 1.02. Stepan Company has a 1 year low of $44.23 and a 1 year high of $94.77.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.33. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.61% and a net margin of 2.53%. The firm had revenue of $593.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $562.77 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. Stepan's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Stepan Company will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were issued a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd.

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.