First Eagle Investment Management LLC Acquires Shares of 51,643 Stepan (NYSE:SCL)

First Eagle Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 51,643 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $4,883,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned 0.23% of Stepan at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Stepan by 2,141.7% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 269 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Stepan by 277.5% during the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 453 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Stepan during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in Stepan in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Stepan by 645.3% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,103 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 955 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stepan

In other news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total value of $174,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 250,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,916,602.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.43, for a total transaction of $174,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 250,676 shares in the company, valued at $21,916,602.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director F Quinn Stepan, Jr. sold 3,637 shares of Stepan stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total transaction of $327,730.07. Following the sale, the director now owns 255,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,029,142.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,637 shares of company stock worth $957,940 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Stepan Price Performance

Shares of SCL traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $88.06. 36,587 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 62,257. The stock has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.05 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $86.54 and a 200-day moving average of $87.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.38. Stepan has a 52 week low of $63.60 and a 52 week high of $100.61.

Stepan (NYSE:SCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.29. Stepan had a return on equity of 4.04% and a net margin of 1.71%. The business had revenue of $551.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $575.83 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.71 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Stepan will post 2.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stepan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. Stepan's dividend payout ratio is 90.36%.

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.