Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 921,704 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 60,985 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned about 4.10% of Stepan worth $59,634,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of SCL. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Stepan by 781.4% in the 4th 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. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Stepan by 40.8% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Stepan in the 4th quarter worth $239,000. Howe & Rusling Inc. lifted its stake in Stepan by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 4,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Stepan in the 4th quarter worth $294,000. Institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Stepan Price Performance

SCL stock traded down $0.56 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $54.32. The company had a trading volume of 177,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 122,112. The company has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.58 and a beta of 1.00. Stepan has a 12-month low of $44.23 and a 12-month high of $94.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $52.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.78.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Stepan will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is 62.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stepan from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th.

Insider Activity

In other Stepan news, Director Susan Lewis bought 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $63.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,765.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at $120,452.88. This represents a 35.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.90% of the company's stock.

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.