Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Acquired by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 24.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,594 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,312 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.28% of Stepan worth $4,115,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Stepan by 40.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Stepan during the 4th quarter valued at about $239,000. Howe & Rusling Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Stepan by 24.5% in the fourth quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 4,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stepan in the fourth quarter valued at about $294,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Stepan Stock Performance

NYSE SCL traded up $0.55 on Friday, hitting $54.70. 85,880 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 124,426. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $51.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 24.75 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Stepan 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.33. Stepan had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 4.21%. The firm had revenue of $593.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $562.77 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Stepan will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.385 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Stepan from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a 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.