Stepan (NYSE:SCL) Shares Gap Up to $84.53

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $84.53, but opened at $87.16. Stepan shares last traded at $86.70, with a volume of 17,754 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Stepan Trading Down 2.0 %

The stock has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.42 and a beta of 0.83. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $87.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $86.00. 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 (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $534.48 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.59 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Stepan will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

Stepan Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. Stepan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $455,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,274,486.69. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.07, for a total transaction of $455,350.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,274,486.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 255,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,029,142.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,637 shares of company stock worth $957,940. 7.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Stepan by 2,141.7% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 269 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Stepan in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Adirondack Trust Co. bought a new stake in Stepan during the third quarter worth $37,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its position in Stepan by 277.5% in the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 453 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Stepan in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.