Two Sigma Investments LP Cuts Stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Two Sigma Investments LP cut its stake in shares of Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 57.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,350 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 20,794 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP owned approximately 0.07% of Stepan worth $993,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Stepan by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 110,242 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $7,133,000 after purchasing an additional 7,861 shares during the period. Numerai GP LLC acquired a new position in Stepan during the fourth quarter worth $1,065,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Stepan by 3.9% during 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. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Stepan by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 98,875 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,397,000 after buying an additional 6,822 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Stepan during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,403,000. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE SCL traded up $0.55 on Friday, hitting $54.70. 85,880 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 124,426. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.21. The business's fifty day moving average is $51.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.11. Stepan has a 12 month low of $44.23 and a 12 month high of $94.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is 62.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.