Stepan Company $SCL Shares Purchased by Algert Global LLC

Key Points

• Algert Global LLC significantly increased its stake in Stepan Company by 140.4%, acquiring a total of 25,638 shares, valued at approximately $1.41 million.
• Wall Street analysts have downgraded Stepan's stock rating, with Zacks Research lowering it from "hold" to "strong sell," leading to a consensus rating of "Sell."
• Stepan Company posted quarterly earnings of $0.52 per share, missing expectations of $0.92, while also reporting revenue marginally below analyst expectations at $594.69 million.

Algert Global LLC boosted its holdings in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 140.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 25,638 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,972 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC owned 0.11% of Stepan worth $1,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Stepan by 9.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 494,129 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $27,197,000 after acquiring an additional 43,006 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in Stepan by 27.3% in the first quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 67,058 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,691,000 after acquiring an additional 14,361 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Stepan in the first quarter valued at approximately $4,971,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Stepan by 7.4% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 156,642 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $8,622,000 after acquiring an additional 10,840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Stepan by 5.7% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 426,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $23,470,000 after acquiring an additional 23,022 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on SCL shares. Wall Street Zen cut Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Zacks Research lowered Stepan from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Sell".

Stepan Stock Up 4.3%

Stepan stock opened at $51.9640 on Friday. Stepan Company has a twelve month low of $44.23 and a twelve month high of $82.08. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $54.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.46 and a beta of 0.98.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.40). Stepan had a return on equity of 4.78% and a net margin of 2.57%.The company had revenue of $594.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $598.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.41 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Stepan Company will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.63%.

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.

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