Stepan Company $SCL Stock Holdings Lifted by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL) by 5.7% during Q1, now owning approximately 1.89% of the company's shares worth $23.47 million.
• Stepan Company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.385 per share, representing a 3.1% yield, with a dividend payout ratio of 60.63%.
• Recent analyst reports have downgraded Stepan's stock, with Zacks Research changing its rating from "hold" to a "strong sell" and a current consensus rating of "sell" among analysts.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Stepan Company (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 426,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 23,022 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.89% of Stepan worth $23,470,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Forum Financial Management LP lifted 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 worth $427,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 14,057 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $774,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 67.9% in the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 3.9% in the 4th 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. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in shares of Stepan by 4.0% in the 4th 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. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SCL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Stepan from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Sell".

Stepan Stock Performance

Shares of SCL opened at $49.6870 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $54.38 and its 200-day moving average is $55.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.56 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Stepan Company has a 12-month low of $44.23 and a 12-month high of $82.08.

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

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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