Seaport Res Ptn Equities Analysts Lower Earnings Estimates for Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) - Analysts at Seaport Res Ptn decreased their Q2 2024 earnings estimates for shares of Stepan in a research note issued on Wednesday, April 17th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings of $0.79 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.81. The consensus estimate for Stepan's current full-year earnings is $2.53 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Stepan's Q3 2024 earnings at $0.83 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $0.56 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $2.55 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $4.80 EPS.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.04). Stepan had a return on equity of 4.20% and a net margin of 1.73%. The firm had revenue of $532.13 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $534.48 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. The company's revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Stepan from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th.

Stepan Stock Performance

Stepan stock traded up $0.45 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $82.06. 78,139 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 77,689. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Stepan has a fifty-two week low of $63.60 and a fifty-two week high of $100.61. The company has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.89 and a beta of 0.83. The firm's fifty day moving average is $88.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $85.01.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stepan

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can boosted its stake in Stepan by 0.5% during the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 18,485 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,875,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Stepan by 4.0% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,462 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Stepan by 3.1% during the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,534 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $425,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Stepan by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 3,031 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its stake in Stepan by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 4,316 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $459,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In other Stepan news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total transaction of $327,730.07. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 255,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,029,142.37. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total value of $327,730.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at $23,029,142.37. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $455,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 255,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,274,486.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,637 shares of company stock valued at $957,940 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.90% of the company's stock.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Stepan's payout ratio is 85.71%.

Stepan Company 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.